25/03/2026

SPORTS

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAR 25, 2026

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Cklamovski remains optimistic H ARIMAU MALAYA’S 14 place drop to 135th in the world rankings has dealt a heavy blow to head coach way we analyse our football, and how we can keep growing our football. “So, things off the field have affected us – that’s a bit of a speed hump – but I guess in every great story there are negatives and we’ve got to use it as that,” he said.

SHORTS Surge in entries for squash Championship THE Squash Racquet Association Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur (SRAFTKL) Junior Open Squash Championship continues to grow, with 722 young players from 17 countries set to compete in its second edition this year. Organising chairman Syed Kebir said the tournament, to be held at the National Sports Council Squash Courts in Jalan Duta and the University of Malaya Squash Courts from March 31 to April 5, has been upgraded from a silver to a gold tier event in the Asian Junior Squash Circuit calendar. “As the tournament has been elevated to a gold-tier event by the Asian Squash Federation (ASF), it has attracted more entries compared to last year, which saw 583 players from 14 countries. “Players from across Asia and Europe are drawn to the event as it offers higher ranking points, making it a strong attraction,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The championship will feature six age categories for both boys and girls: U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-19. Out of the total entries, 527 players are from Malaysia, reflect ing strong local participation alongside international competi tors. Among the notable partici pants is rising junior player Maisarah Mohd Khairul Nizam, who won the U-13 girls’ title in last year’s edition. Esports banks on local coaches THE national men’s Mobile Legends Bang-Bang (MLBB) squad will rely on an all-local expertise as they gear up for this year’s tournaments, including the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September. Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) president Muhammad Naim Al-Amin Saharuddin said the decision was a step towards recognising the expertise of local talent, which is seen as equal to that of foreign coaches. “Previously, we relied on for eign coaches, although we made sure the assistant was a local. There is a possibility that we may promote the assistant coach to become the head coach. “That is the transition we wanted previously, and we also want to maintain the momen tum the team has built up,” he told Bernama . Earlier, the media reported that the Philippines had secured the services of former Malaysian MLBB head coach Michael Bocadio (Arcadia) for the 2026 Asian Games, along with Paul Miranda (Yeb) and Francis Glindro. For the record, the national men’s MLBB team had an excel lent season last year, emerging as champions of the IESF World Esports Championship 2025 and winning silver in the SEA Games Thailand. The women’s team were just as successful, winning gold at the biennial Games in Thailand.

… after Harimau Malaya world ranking drop s 14 places to 135

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The situation worsened when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) took similar action on two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam and Nepal, in which the players were also fielded. AFC’s ruling to hand Malaysia 3-0 forfeits not only stripped the team of crucial ranking points, but also con firmed Harimau Malaya’s failure to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. In related news, the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) urged all parties to take lessons from the sharp drop in Harimau Malaya’s ranking. Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said appropriate steps must be taken, including strengthening local football, to prevent the situation from recurring in the future. “Football development, especially at the grassroots level, must continue, and I urge all Malaysians to keep sup porting the sport,” he said in a state ment yesterday. “At the ministry level, we maintain our stance of not interfering in the

Association of Malaysia (FAM). “Through the National Sports Council (MSN), KBS will continue to prioritise efforts to strengthen and develop local football talent via the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), together with FAM as a strategic partner.” Mohammed Taufiq said KBS will also continue to hold regular engage ment sessions with FAM to obtain feedback on their strategies to prevent further drops in the rankings. Despite the disappointment felt by Malaysians, especially local football fans, he hopes all parties will give FAM the space, with assistance from the AFC, to identify and implement the necessary internal reforms, as well as to hold a congress to elect a new lead ership line-up. The drop in Harimau Malaya’s ranking can be considered among the worst since 2006, when the team slipped 19 places from 127th to 146th. – Bernama Muhammad Hakim up for Cota challenge rider Muhammad Hakim Danish Ramli is aiming to build on his positive momentum in the third round of the Moto3 World Championship at the Circuit of the Americas (Cota) in Austin, Texas, this weekend. The Aeon Credit-MT Helmets MSi rider said he is well-prepared for the challenge, having undergone comprehensive preparations covering the physical, mental and technical aspects of racing. The Terengganu-born rider is also stepping up efforts to refine his riding technique to suit the unique demands of the Cota circuit, which features 20 challenging corners across a 5.5km layout. “This will be my first time racing at Cota, so it is a new and challenging experience for me. The circuit is very technical, with 20 corners and several chicane sections that require a high level of focus and precision. Therefore, I need to adapt quickly. “I will try to get up to speed as early as possible in the practice sessions so that I can maintain my pace and compete more strongly heading into qualifying,” he said in a statement yesterday. Despite increasingly intense competition in the Moto3 class, the 17-year-old remains optimistic about improving his performance from the opening practice session on Friday and challenging within the leading group. Hakim Danish drew attention at last week’s Brazil Grand Prix by finishing third in qualifying to secure a front-row start, before ending the race in the top 10 to earn valuable points for his campaign this season. – Bernama MALAYSIAN Moto3

Peter Cklamovski. However, the Australian coach stressed that his squad remains posi tive despite the controversy surround ing the local football scene, and believes the effort to break into the world’s top 100 is still on the right track. He said everything within the team’s control has been carried out well, including training, style of play and tactical analysis, while describing external obstacles as temporary chal lenges that must be overcome. “Yeah, obviously in the last 12 months, you know, we’re moving in the right direction in that regard,” he said when met on Monday ahead of the final Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam. “Again, everything that we can con trol – the way we train, the way we play, the way we analyse our opponents, the

Cklamovski said time will be the deciding factor in realising the target after taking over Harimau Malaya in 2024. “Step by step, yeah, step by step and time,” he said. Yesterday, the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) released the latest rankings, with Harimau Malaya dropping 14 places to 135th in the world with 1095.90 points. The significant drop was due to heavy sanctions imposed by Fifa fol lowing a document falsification issue involving seven ineligible heritage players. In December last year, Fifa annulled the results of friendly wins against Singapore and Palestine, and a draw against Cape Verde, which had been overturned as 3-0 defeats.

Wan Arif eyes podium finish in Ningbo

NATIONAL men’s doubles player Wan Arif Wan Junaidi has set an ambitious target of securing a podium finish at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China, from April 7 to 12. Wan Arif said he and his partner Yap Roy King need to improve their consistency, particularly in handling crucial moments when chasing key points, to ensure they can progress further at the tournament, which will be held at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre. “We are targeting a podium finish or at least a place in the quarterfinals, as we have yet to reach that stage this year. We also hope to upset some of the top 10 pairs,” he told reporters after a training session in Kuala Lumpur yes terday. The world No. 16 pair last reached the quarterfinals at the Kumamoto Masters Japan in November last year. Their most recent title came at the Macau Open in August last year, where they defeated Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, 22-20, 21-18. Wan Arif also said he is not focusing on the race for a spot in the 2026 Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, sched uled from April 24 to May 3. “We don’t want to think too much about that. If we overthink it, it will affect our performance. For now, we are focused on our goal at the BAC,” he said. He added that he feels refreshed after returning from a short Aidilfitri break spent with his family in Terengganu. – Bernama

National men’s doubles player Wan Arif (right) during a training session in Bukit Kiara yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Preparation for SEA Games at 80%, says minister MALAYSIA is ramping up

ceremony along with 14 sports: badminton, cycling (Velodrome Nasional, Nilai), volleyball, netball, equestrian, hockey, karate, fencing, ice skating, athletics, pencak silat, sailing (Langkawi), rugby, and water skiing. Mohammed Taufiq said the national athletes have already completed the first phase of their preparations for the Games at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Perak. He explained that this initial phase included training sessions with the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Malaysian National Defence Academy, aimed at instilling patriotism and motivating athletes to compete fiercely and win as many medals as possible on home ground. – Bernama

number of sports are around 90% complete, with only a few appeals and final assessments remaining to confirm which sports we will host,” he told Bernama. Sarawak will serve as the main host cluster for the 2027 SEA Games, for the opening ceremony, with 17 sports: aquatics, weightlifting, basketball, bowling, lawn bowls, e-sports, gymnastics, golf, cricket, archery, shooting, Muay Thai, petanque, squash, taekwondo, tennis and wushu. The Penang cluster will host six sports: sepak takraw, snooker and billiards, judo, boxing, table tennis, and floorball, while the Johor cluster will feature only football. Kuala Lumpur will host the closing

preparations to host the SEA Games for the seventh time, with four main clusters set across Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur for the 2027 edition. With less than 600 days remaining until the 34th SEA Games officially open on Sept 18, 2027, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the country’s preparations to host the biennial multi-sport event, which will feature 38 sports, are nearly 80% complete. “We are approaching full readiness. Athletes are steadily improving their preparation, while facilities and related arrangements are about 70 to 80% complete. “Discussions on finalising the