13/02/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | FEB 13, 2026 Red card changed everything: Munoz

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Time to be bold FAM requires comprehensive reform to restore confidence of fans, players and stakeholders: Megat

NATIONAL sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi is expected to be capable of clocking a sub-10 second time in the 100m within the next one to two years. The confidence was voiced by Muhammad Azeem’s former coach, Muhammad Amir Izwan Tan, based on the athlete’s current performances in several competi tions he has competed in. “Based on videos of his running and everything, there are actually many weaknesses that he can improve. “But what I can say, insya-Allah, this year or next year, insya-Allah, sub-10. I am confident he can do it because I have coached him before,” he said when met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Earlier, Muhammad Amir was ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa 1 (Hinshelwood 86-og) Brighton 0, Crystal Palace 2 (Strand Larsen 17, 33) Burnley 3 (Mejbri 40, Anthony 44, Lerma 45+3-og) , Manchester City 3 (Semenyo 24, O'Reilly 30, Haaland 39) Fulham 0, Nottingham Forest 0 Wolves 0, Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1 (Van Dijk 61) . P W D L F A Pts Man City 26 16 5 5 54 24 53 Aston Villa 26 15 5 6 37 27 50 Man Utd 26 12 9 5 47 37 45 Chelsea 26 12 8 6 47 30 44 Liverpool 26 12 6 8 41 35 42 Brentford 25 12 3 10 39 34 39 Everton 26 10 7 9 29 30 37 Bournemouth 26 9 10 7 43 45 37 Newcastle 26 10 6 10 37 37 36 Sunderland 26 9 9 8 27 30 36 Fulham 26 10 4 12 35 40 34 Crystal Palace 26 8 8 10 28 32 32 Brighton 26 7 10 9 34 34 31 Leeds 26 7 9 10 36 45 30 Tottenham 26 7 8 11 36 37 29 Nottm Forest 26 7 6 13 25 38 27 West Ham 26 6 6 14 32 49 24 Burnley 26 4 6 16 28 51 18 Wolves 26 1 6 19 16 48 9 CHAMPIONSHIP: Charlton Athletic 1 Stoke City 0. P W D L F A Pts Mid’boro 31 18 7 6 49 30 61 Coventry 31 17 8 6 63 35 59 Ipswich 30 15 9 6 51 29 54 Hull 31 16 6 9 50 43 54 Millwall 31 15 8 8 39 36 53 Wrexham 31 12 11 8 44 39 47 Preston 31 12 11 8 38 34 47 Bristol City 31 13 7 11 43 38 46 Southampton 32 12 10 10 48 44 46 Birmingham 32 12 10 10 43 39 46 Derby 31 12 9 10 45 39 45 Watford 31 11 11 9 39 36 44 QPR 31 12 8 11 42 43 44 Stoke 32 12 7 13 34 29 43 Swansea 31 12 6 13 38 37 42 Norwich 32 11 6 15 42 42 39 Sheff Utd 31 12 3 16 44 45 39 Charlton 31 10 9 12 30 38 39 West Brom 32 9 7 16 32 47 34 Portsmouth 29 8 9 12 27 38 33 Leicester 32 10 8 14 44 51 32 Blackburn 31 8 8 15 27 40 32 Oxford 32 6 10 16 28 44 28 Sheff Wed 31 1 8 22 18 62 -7 SPANISH CUP (semifinals, 1st leg) : Athletic Bilbao 0 Real Sociedad 1. ITALIAN CUP (quarterfinals) : Bologna 1 Lazio 1 (Lazio win 4-1 on pen) . GERMAN CUP (quarterfinals) : Bayern Munich 2 RB Leipzig 0. RESULTS & STANDINGS

D ATUK SERI Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin has urged affiliates of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to be bold in making changes at the governing body’s election congress for the sake of the future of national football. The Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) presi dent said FAM requires comprehensive reform to restore the confidence of fans, players and stakehold ers in the local football industry. He said that while some affiliates may still need more time to assess the reform agenda in its entirety, a strategic partner approach with specific clauses could be considered as a more structured and inclu sive alternative. “To the affiliates, ask yourselves what you really want. If you have votes and rights but are unable to effect change and make an impact, then seek a strate gic partner who can truly bring about reform. Listen to their plans; I don’t think that is difficult. “I hope those who can vote

JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) head coach Xisco Munoz said playing with 10 men was the reason for his team’s 2-1 defeat to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Elite Asian Champions League (ACLE) match on Tuesday night. The Southern Tigers took the lead through Marcos Guilherme’s third minute opener before it went down hill, following Jonathan Silva’s send ing off for a handball in the 16th min ute, leaving JDT to battle with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Munoz said the situation forced him to change strategy to balance the opponent’s strength, thus mak ing it difficult for the Malaysian League giants to take home at least one point. “After (the red card incident), we had to change the game. Playing against them (with 10 players) was very difficult. “I don’t blame Jonathan. It may be a spontaneous action to save the ball. But playing with a lack of players had a big impact. Players needed to dou ble their mental and physical energy to maintain momentum.” He said the high-intensity match required focus on every detail, but the lack of one player made it difficult for the team to control the game. Nevertheless, Munoz praised the character of his team who continued to look for the equaliser until the final whistle. The defeat leaves JDT seventh in the 12-team East Region standings with eight points from seven matches but they are expected to drop down the standings upon the completion of the penultimate round. Munoz’s men now face a must win match against Japanese giants and leaders Vissel Kobe at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Feb 17, to finish top eight and qualify for the knock out stage. Vissel could rotate their squad with qualification already assured but the Japanese outfit will still be moti vated to maintain top spot for a potentially more favourable round of-16 draw, meaning JDT face a daunting task if they are to keep their knockout ambitions alive. – Bernama/Agencies

be guided by the mandate and trust of the affiliates. He stressed that his decision to offer himself as a candidate for the FAM presidency was not driven by a desire to pursue position or power, but because he believes he can contribute to the changes needed within FAM. “I respect the democratic process in FAM and the right of every affiliate to make their choice. “What drives me is the confidence that, with the experience and commitment I have, I can contribute towards improving and strengthening FAM’s govern ance if given the mandate,” he said. Last Monday, Megat once again expressed interest in contesting the FAM president’s post following the mass resignation of FAM’s Executive Committee (Exco) members at the end of last month. The International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) board member had previously voiced his intention to contest the FAM presidency at last year’s election congress, but withdrew due to time constraints. Under the FAM statutes, a presidential candidate must obtain at least six nomi nations from affiliates to qualify to con test. Last month, all FAM Exco members for the 2025-2029 term resigned collec tively and voluntarily with immediate effect as a principled and prudent step following a crisis, to safeguard FAM’s integrity and prioritise organisational responsibility over personal interests. The FAM crisis began in September last year after Fifa confirmed that FAM and seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Jodo Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel – were found to have violated Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC). The date for the FAM Election Congress has yet to be finalised, but it is expected to be held after the assessment process being car

and have the power can work with those who can bring change and elevate the aspirations of those who have not been carried forward before,” he told Bernama . Megat said the stra tegic partner approach would allow improve ments to be imple mented in stages and consistently, while ensuring that the lead ership elected con tinues to

ried out by the Asian Football Confederation is fully completed. – Bernama

Datuk Seri Megat D

Shahriman Zaharudin . – BERNAMA FILEPIC

No free pass for takraw players

Sprinter Muhammad Azeem can go sub-10 in two years, says coach

DESPITE their success at last year’s Thailand SEA Games, national sepak takraw players have been reminded not to rest on their lau rels, as there will be no automatic place in the squad for the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup in May. National sepak takraw head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said a comprehensive evaluation of each player’s current perform ance would be conducted before a final decision is made at the working committee meeting scheduled for later this month. He reminded the players that winning gold at the biennial Games did not auto matically guarantee a place in the national squad for the prestigious world champion ship. “So far, we have yet to finalise the list of players for the 2026 World Cup,” he told reporters at the Thailand SEA Games National Sepak Takraw Squad appreciation ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night.

“I’d like to remind them that even though they were champions at the SEA Games, that doesn’t guarantee them a spot. “They still need to keep improving, as the younger players being called up have strong ambitions to take over from the sen iors.” Ahmad Jais described the battle for places between senior and younger players as a healthy competition that could raise the standard of the national team. At the event organised by the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Federation (PSM) in collabo ration with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), each SEA Games gold medallist, as well as the coach, was presented with an exclusive 999 commemorative gold coin. The national squad made history in Thailand last year, securing two gold med als and three bronze medals, while also ending a 34-year drought to claim the men’s regu team title. – Bernama

given to local coaches. But we also do not rule out the possibility of calling candidates from abroad if no suitable local candidates are found. “However, if a foreign candi date is selected, that individual will not coach athletes but will instead coach the local coaches,” she said. According to Nurhayati, the process of appointing new coaches is expected to be com pleted by early March at the latest. Among the prominent names expected to attend the interview session are former national para athletics head coach R Jaganathan, former triple jumper Hakimi Ismail and former 110m hurdler Mohd Robani Hasan. – Bernama

among those present at the national athletics coaching inter views held over four days at the National Sports Council. Meanwhile, Muhammad Amir said he is ready to return as coach of the sprint king if his services are needed when Muhammad Azeem returns to Malaysia at the end of this year. However, he said his cur rent focus is on producing more sprinters for the future. Meanwhile, Malaysia Athletics (MA) Secretary-General Nurhayati Karim said 35 candidates attended the first interview session to fill 20 vacant national coaching posi tions across various disciplines. She said all candidates have backgrounds in athletics, with pri ority to be given to local coaches. “For now, priority is indeed