17/03/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | MAR 17, 2026

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BAC win key for duo, says Rexy

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Crystal Palace 0 Leeds 0, Manchester United 3 (Casemiro 53, Cunha 71, Sesko 81) Aston Villa 1 (Barkley 64), Nottingham Forest 0 Fulham 0 , Liverpool 1 (Szoboszlai 18) Tottenham 1 (Richarlison 90) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 31 21 7 3 61 22 70 Man City 30 18 7 5 60 28 61 Man Utd 30 15 9 6 54 41 54 Aston Villa 30 15 6 9 40 37 51 Liverpool 30 14 7 9 49 40 49 Chelsea 30 13 9 8 53 35 48 Brentford 29 13 5 11 44 40 44 Everton 30 12 7 11 34 35 43 Newcastle 30 12 6 12 43 43 42 Bournemouth 30 9 14 7 44 46 41 Fulham 30 12 5 13 40 43 41 Brighton 30 10 10 10 39 36 40 Sunderland 30 10 10 10 30 35 40 Crystal Palace 30 10 9 11 33 35 39 Leeds 30 7 11 12 37 48 32 Tottenham 30 7 9 14 40 47 30 Nottm Forest 30 7 8 15 28 43 29 West Ham 30 7 8 15 36 55 29 Burnley 30 4 8 18 32 58 20 Wolves 30 3 7 20 22 52 16 LA LIGA: Real Mallorca 2 (Torre 65, Costa 88) Espanyol 1 (Pickel 36), Barcelona 5 (Raphinha 9-pen, 21-pen, 51, Olmo 38, Cancelo 60) Sevilla 2 (Oso 45+4, Sow 90+2) , Real Betis 1 (Bellerin 49) Celta Vigo 1 (Jutgla 4), Real Sociedad 3 (Oyarzabal 24-pen, Guedes 28, 52) Osasuna 1 (Munoz 77) . TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 28 23 1 4 77 28 70 Real Madrid 28 21 3 4 60 24 66 Atletico 28 17 6 5 47 25 57 Villarreal 28 17 4 7 51 33 55 Real Betis 28 11 11 6 43 35 44 SERIE A: Como 2 (Douvakis 59, Carlos 79) Roma 1 (Malen 7-pen), Lazio 1 (Isaksen 26) AC Milan 0 , Pisa 3 (Moreo 9-pen, Caracciolo 52, 54) Cagliari 1 (Pavoletti 67) , Sassuolo 0 Bologna 1 (Dallinga 6), Verona 0 Genoa 2 (Vitinha 61, Ostigard 86) . TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 29 23 2 5 65 23 68 AC Milan 29 17 9 3 44 21 60 Napoli 29 18 5 6 45 30 59 Como 29 15 9 5 48 22 54 Juventus 29 15 8 6 51 28 53 BUNDESLIGA: Stuttgart 1 RB Leipzig 0, Freiburg 0 Union Berlin 1, Werder Bremen 0 Mainz 2. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 26 21 4 1 93 25 67 Dortmund 26 17 7 2 55 26 58 Hoffenheim 26 15 5 6 54 34 50 Stuttgart 26 15 5 6 51 34 50 RB Leipzig 26 14 5 7 48 35 47 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Strasbourg 0 Paris FC 0, Le Havre 0 Lyon 0, Metz 3 Toulouse 4, Rennes 1 Lille 2. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 25 18 3 4 54 22 57 Lens 26 18 2 6 49 23 56 Marseille 26 15 4 7 53 33 49 Lyon 26 14 5 7 40 27 47 Lille 26 13 5 8 40 33 44 THE Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has clarified that the suspension imposed on Timor-Leste cannot be equated with the situation currently faced by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). AFC Secretary-General Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John said the cases were different as the offence committed by Timor-Leste was discovered only after the tournament had concluded and, as such, the sanction was imposed for the subsequent competition.

NATIONAL men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King have the opportunity to fill Malaysia’s third doubles slot for the 2026 Thomas Cup. However, national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has set a condition for the pair, requiring them to win at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China from April 7 to 12. “We still need to observe the BAC (for the selection of the third dou

Pierngadi had said he was facing a dilemma in selecting the country’s third doubles pair to be included in the Thomas Cup squad. He said that at present two men’s doubles pairs, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, are almost certain to be selected to carry the nation’s chal lenge at the prestigious tourna ment. Yesterday’s men’s doubles train ing session drew attention when

bles pair). So the players participat ing in the tournament, especially players like Wan Arif-Roy King, need to take advantage of this opportu nity. “If they can prove themselves as Asian champions, there is a possibil ity they will be included in the Thomas Cup squad,” he told the media after the national team’s training session yesterday. Previously, national men’s dou bles head coach Herry Iman

All decisions made by the Disciplinary Committee can be appealed. After the appeal, the case can also be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “So, decisions cannot be made arbitrarily. They must be made according to the powers available. You can only make decisions within the powers that have been granted to you under the disciplinary code. Not more, not less,” he said. – Bernama KBS funds athletes welfare THE Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has allocated RM1 million to the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) to support former athletes registered under the foundation this year. Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the ministry had reviewed the foundation’s requirements before channelling the funds to ensure the continued welfare of the nation’s former sporting heroes. He said KBS would continue to monitor further needs and is prepared to increase the allocation if necessary to ensure all former athletes in need are reached. “We are constantly discussing and reviewing all requirements to provide contributions and safeguard the welfare of athletes. This is why the government has allocated RM1 million for Yakeb. “I also wish to urge corporate figures and the private sector to join this effort. KBS will continue to engage with Yakeb to ensure the smooth operation of the foundation,”he told reporters yesterday. Meanwhile, KBS will consider Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) proposal to use Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara as an additional training court for the national squad. Its minister said they would meet with Perbadanan Stadium Malaysia (PSM) after Hari Raya Aidilfitri to discuss the matter. “BAM paid a visit to my office two weeks ago and the issue (about using Stadium Juara) was among the matters brought up. “The use of the stadium would save on transport and logistics. “So maybe after Raya we will make a decision that is best for our athletes,” he said. He also said that the performance of the national badminton squad was at a good and encouraging level but reminded players to not be complacent with their current performance and to always strive for the best. “I hope that all Malaysians can give their support and not just negative comments as this will have an adverse effect on athletes,” he added. – Bernama former world No. 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon was present as a sparring partner. According to Rexy, Marcus Fernaldi’s presence will in some way benefit the country’s young doubles players. “At the age of 35, he can still pro vide quality sparring for our players. “So I hope our players, especially the younger ones, will take this opportunity to learn from Gideon,” he said. – Bernama

JDT’s Feroz Baharudin (left) in action against DPMM during the Super League match on Sunday night in Stadium Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei. – @officialJohor/X

Southern Tigers win 12th League title JDT extend dominance with five matches left J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) have won their 12th consecutive Super League title, as they con tinued to assert their dominance over the domestic football scene by securing this season’s title with five matches remaining. onship. Meanwhile, Selangor FC clawed their way back to second in the league by beating Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC 3-2 in a riveting match at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras.

Red Giants captain Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim put his team ahead early in the 11th minute, but Selangor had to wait till the second half for their sec ond goal, courtesy of Diarra Mamadou in the 63rd minute, and Hugo Boumous scored in the 70th min ute to put the visitors in a commanding 3-0 lead. KL City managed a comeback, scoring through Madger Gomes in the 72nd minute and Muhammad Safawi Rasid in the 87th minute, but was unable to secure an equaliser. Selangor is now second in the league with 42 points after 20 matches, while Kuching City FC is third with 40 points but with a game to spare. Melaka FC can thank Che Rashid Che Halim for their 2-1 victory over Kelantan The Real Warriors (TRW) FC at Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka.

The Southern Tigers have yet to concede a point this entire season, and their 3-0 win against DPMM FC at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei last night was their 19th in a winning streak that began at the start of this season. JDT’s first goal in the 20th minute was ruled offside after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, and the visitors had to wait till the 33rd minute to score through a free kick by Ager Aketxe that deflected of the goalpost into the net. DPMM very nearly scored an equaliser twice in the second half, first in the 52nd minute through an attempt by midfielder Ibrahim Sulley that was slightly offtarget, and a goal by Muhammad Hakeme Yazid Said three minutes later that was ruled offside. JDT then took control of the game and scored through a close-range shot by Oscar Arribas in the 74th minute, and Marcos Guilherme put the game beyond DPMM’s reach by scoring JDT’s third goal, securing the team’s historic 12th consecutive champi

Che Rashid’s goal in the 66th minute secured his team’s win, breaking the 1-1 stalemate, with TRW scoring through Enzo Nicolas Jacques Celestine (12’) and Melaka FC’s Ahmed Ayman Shamsaldin Abdalazem (44’). – Bernama AFC says Timor-Leste situation different from FAM case

of the Football Federation of Timor Leste (FFTL), Amandio de Araujo, was found to have falsified documents relating to the nationality of the country’s players. According to Windsor, the AFC Disciplinary Committee will decide on or impose sanctions based on the existing regulations, but the party punished has the right to appeal. “We leave this matter to the Disciplinary Committee to examine the facts.

involving Malaysia and Timor-Leste cannot be compared,” he said at a press conference held at the FAM headquarters yesterday. He said provisions under Article 25 of the AFC Disciplinary Code and Article 56 also do not grant the AFC Disciplinary Committee the authority to impose sanctions beyond the limits set. The AFC had previously suspended Timor-Leste from participating in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after the sec-gen

Meanwhile, he said the situation involving the national squad occurred in a different context and during a different phase of the competition. “The Timor-Leste case occurred after the competition had ended. When the offence was discovered, the sanction was imposed going forward, which is why they were not allowed to compete in the next edition. “This situation is different from a case that occurs while a competition is still ongoing. Therefore, the cases