09/04/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 9, 2026

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J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) advanced to the final of the Malaysia Cup with an 8-1 aggregate win over Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City FC), thanks to a 4-1 victory in the second semifinal leg match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Tuesday night. The defending champions went into the match with a comfortable four-goal advantage from the first leg, and created several scoring chances in the first half, but were somehow foiled at each turn. JDT then upped their game in the second half, and Bergson Da Silva scored just four minutes from the start with a header in the 49th minute, and Muhammad Syahmi Safari put the Southern Tigers 2-0 up two minutes later. Bergson then got his second personal and JDT’s third in the 58th minute, but KL City FC managed to score in the 67th minute through Giancarlo Gallifuoco. As the match came to a close, JDT’s Ajdin Mujagic scored th fourth goal in the 89th minute, a display of strength that underscored the defend ing champions’ dominance in the local football scene. Despite Tuesday’s defeat, KL City FC head

No stopping JDT Southern Tigers through to M’sia Cup final after 8-1 aggregate win over KL City

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (Quarterfinals, 1st leg) : Real Madrid 1 (Mbappe 74) Bayern Munich 2 (Diaz 41, Kane 46) , Sporting Lisbon 0 Arsenal 1 (Havertz 90+1) . ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP: Wrexham 1 Southampton 5. TOP 8 P W D L F A PTS Coventry 41 25 9 7 84 42 84 Ipswich 39 20 12 7 69 40 72 Mid’boro 41 20 12 9 62 41 72 Millwall 41 21 9 11 56 47 72 Hull 41 20 8 13 63 58 68 Southampton 40 18 12 10 68 49 66 Wrexham 41 17 13 11 63 58 64 Derby 41 18 9 14 60 51 63 RESULTS & STANDINGS BRIEFS OCM to decide on selection MALAYSIA’S Chef de Mission (CDM) to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, has left it to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to decide whether to tighten ath lete selection for the Games scheduled from Sept 19 to Oct 4. Mohd Sumali said any further action should ideally be decided by the OCM and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as he did not rule out the possibility of rising participation costs for the national contingent to the quadrennial Games due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. “We leave it to the OCM; they may reduce the number of athletes and only send those who can truly deliver medals or have a strong chance of winning medals. But for now, I do not have further information. It depends on how far this crisis affects our economy,” he told reporters after the first Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) meeting (2025-2027) in Petaling Jaya yesterday. When asked whether there was an alternative plan if the cur rent situation in West Asia persists, he said the matter has yet to be formally dis cussed. SEA Games to enforce Anti-Doping Code MALAYSIA is set to become the first SEA Games host to implement the World Anti-Doping Code at the 34th edition next year. Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the move, led by Malaysia, will ensure the 2027 SEA Games are fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) standards, enhancing the integrity and international standing of the Games. He added that Malaysia’s proposal was unanimously approved during the South East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) meeting No. 1 (2025–2027) held in Petaling Jaya yester day.“Malaysia has a storied history of pio neering structural shift in regional sport. The latest move, if adopted, will follow the legacy of 1977 when Malaysia trans formed the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (SEAP Games) into the current SEA Games.

will approach every match until the end of the sea son with full commitment and aim to get the maxi mum points possible,” he told a press conference after Tuesday’s defeat. “The next match against Kelantan The Real Warriors (TRW) FC is important”, he said, adding that the players must deliver their best perform ance. Kuching City FC are currently third in the league standings with 40 points, while KL City FC are close behind in fourth place with 39 points. Meanwhile, JDT head coach Xisco Munoz said his team have maintained consistent perform ances despite a tight fixture schedule, with a league match against Terengganu FC on Saturday. Already crowned Super League champions after chalking an unassailable lead, the team is also looking ahead to the quarterfinal of AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), either against Al Ahli Saudi FC or Al-Duhail SC on April 17. “We have a lot of games in a short time. We need to recover and prepare properly for each match. It is important to maintain our focus,” he said. – Bernama

coach Risto Vidakovic remained optimistic that his side still has a chance to finish as runners-up in the Super League, with focus now shifting to their remaining four matches in a bid to collect maxi mum points. He said the City Boys have a slight edge with a game in hand and a one-point lead, adding that his players were determined to fight until the end of the season. “The chances are still there, although it is very complicated. We know it will be very difficult because Kuching has one game in hand and a point ahead of us. “However, we will continue to try and fight. We

JDT’s Stuart John Wilkin (centre) in action with KL City players during the Malaysia Cup semifinal, 2nd leg match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Tuesday night. – BBERNAMAPIC

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Garcia keen to hear M-League financial solutions

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JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) chief executive offi cer (CEO) Luis Garcia has expressed keen interest in the ideas put forward by Selangor FC CEO Dr. Johan Kamal Hamidon to address the financial challenges facing the Malaysia League (M League). Garcia said he was intrigued by Johan’s recent statement claiming to have solutions to the league’s financial problems and hoped the pro posal could be discussed collectively among all teams. The former Liverpool and Spain international said a roundtable discussion involving all teams is necessary to better understand the proposed solutions. “I’m honoured to have played at the highest level in addition to working with world-class organisations, and I am really eager to find out what solutions Dr. Johan has considering his vast experience and knowledge in Malaysian and

Ron and Cheng Su Yin were forced to retire from their opening match against South Korean pair Kim Jae Hyeon-Jang Ha Jeong after Pang Ron sustained a hand injury, with the pair trailing 14 21, 6-9 at the time. Men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King also crashed out, losing 17-21, 21-17, 20-22 to Taiwan’s Lee Fang Chih-Lee Fang Jen, who also defeated the Malaysians at the German Open 2026. In the women’s singles, Wong Ling Ching also bowed out after losing to P. V. Sindhu of India 21-15, 11-21, 19-21 for her second defeat to Sindhu after 2023. – Bernama international football. “I hope these discussions with all teams take place in the near future,” he said in a post on Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page yesterday. Recently, the media reported that Johan had called for serious discussions including the possi bility of convening a roundtable involving all M League stakeholders to be held immediately, particularly in light of the increasingly concerning financial situation faced by the majority of teams. Negeri Sembilan FC (NSFC) have also expressed support for the proposal to hold a roundtable discussion to address the issue com prehensively. Among the recurring issues affecting the M League are delayed salary payments to players and team officials by several clubs, as well as the growing challenge of coping with rising opera tional costs, compounded by the impact of ongo ing tensions in West Asia. – Bernama

RM138,668.09

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Aaron-Wooi Yik off to winning start NATIONAL top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia Soh Wooi Yik got their 2026 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) campaign off to a flying start as they began their title defence with a convincing victory in Ningbo, China, yesterday. The world No. 2 pair dispatched Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin in straight sets, winning 21-15, 21-15 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre. Kong’s Law Cheuk Him-Yeung Shing Choi 21 15, 21-16. However, it was a different story for men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun, who suffered an early exit after being outclassed by Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, losing 13-21, 8-21 in his open ing match.

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The defeat was Jun Hao’s third career loss to the 2024 Asian Champion and it also marks a worrying trend for the shuttler, being his third first-round exit of the 2026 season following the India Open and German Open. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s challenge in the mixed doubles suffered a setback as Hoo Pang

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Yesterday’s win marks Aaron-Wooi Yik third victory in four encounters against the Taiwanese duo and the Malaysians will next face China’s Hu Ke Yuan-Lin Xiang Yi for a place in the quarterfinals after the Chinese pair beatt Hong

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