15/04/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | APR 15, 2026

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Anwar fuels takraw ambitions Investment aims to strengthen grassroots and elevate sport nationwide P RIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday announced a RM2 mil lion allocation to strengthen sepak takraw development, saying the sport should be built around players’ welfare and growth rather than institutions alone. He said the real priority in developing any sport should be the players themselves, alongside efforts to build stronger and wider public interest. “This sport is special because it is a heritage sport, a sport of pride, a sport recorded in books, including Malay history. try’s heritage and identity. At the same time, he reminded players that tal ent alone would not be enough to carry the sport forward. “Without discipline and training, it is impossible to reach the highest level. Success comes with the support of everyone,” he said. Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN nik.faiz@thesundaily.com

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH LEAGUE: Manchester United 1 (Casemiro 69) Leeds 2 (Okafor 5, 29) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 32 21 7 4 62 24 70 Man City 31 19 7 5 63 28 64 Man Utd 32 15 10 7 57 45 55 Aston Villa 32 16 7 9 43 38 55 Liverpool 32 15 7 10 52 42 52 Chelsea 32 13 9 10 53 41 48 Brentford 32 13 8 11 48 44 47 Everton 32 13 8 11 39 37 47 Brighton 32 12 10 10 43 37 46 Sunderland 32 12 10 10 33 36 46 Bournemouth 32 10 15 7 48 49 45 Fulham 32 13 5 14 43 46 44 Crystal Palace 31 11 9 11 35 36 42 Newcastle 32 12 6 14 45 47 42 Leeds 32 8 12 12 39 49 36 Nottm Forest 32 8 9 15 32 44 33 West Ham 32 8 8 1640 57 32 Tottenham 32 7 9 1640 51 30 Burnley 32 4 8 2033 63 20 Wolves 32 3 8 2124 58 17 LA LIGA: Levante 1 (Espi 83) Getafe 0. P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 31 26 1 4 84 30 79 Real Madrid 31 22 4 5 65 29 70 Villarreal 31 19 4 8 56 36 61 Atletico 31 17 6 8 51 32 57 Real Betis 31 11 13 7 45 38 46 Celta Vigo 31 11 11 9 44 40 44 Sociedad 31 11 9 11 49 48 42 Getafe 31 12 5 14 27 32 41 Osasuna 31 10 9 12 37 38 39 Espanyol 31 10 8 13 37 48 38 Girona 31 9 11 11 33 45 38 Bilbao 31 11 5 15 33 45 38 Vallecano 31 8 11 12 29 38 35 Valencia 31 9 8 1434 46 35 Mallorca 31 9 7 1539 48 34 Sevilla 31 9 7 1539 51 34 Alaves 31 8 9 1435 46 33 Elche 31 7 11 13 39 47 32 Levante 31 7 8 1635 50 29 Real Oviedo 31 6 9 16 24 48 27 SERIE A: Fiorentina 1 (Gosens 28) Lazio 0. P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 32 24 3 5 75 29 75 Napoli 32 20 6 6 48 31 66 AC Milan 32 18 9 5 47 27 63 Juventus 32 17 9 6 55 29 60 Como 32 16 10 6 56 26 58 Roma 32 18 3 11 45 28 57 Atalanta 32 14 11 7 44 28 53 Bologna 32 14 6 12 42 37 48 Lazio 32 11 11 10 32 30 44 Udinese 32 12 7 13 38 42 43 Sassuolo 32 12 6 14 39 43 42 Torino 32 11 6 15 37 54 39 Genoa 32 9 9 1438 45 36 Parma 32 8 12 12 23 40 36 Fiorentina 32 8 11 13 37 44 35 Cagliari 32 8 9 1533 44 33 Cremonese 32 6 9 1726 47 27 Lecce 32 7 6 1921 45 27 Verona 32 3 9 2023 55 18 Pisa 32 2 12 18 23 58 18 PREMIER

“But what matters most is not the academy, and not even the association. What matters most are the players, and spreading a broader passion among the people to love this sport and to take part in it.” He said sepak takraw should also no longer be seen through a narrow communal lens, adding that the government wanted to widen participation beyond the sport’s traditional base and encourage interest from all communities. Anwar said this reflected a broader national maturity, where sport could serve as a platform to bring Malaysians together and move past racial divisions. He described sepak takraw as a sport with deep historical and cultural roots, saying its strength lay not only in competition, but in its place in the coun

He urged young players not to become arrogant, and to recognise that their progress depended on the backing of the government, institutions and the public. Earlier, Anwar also noted that the Youth and Sports Ministry had approved RM1 million to help Persekutuan Sepak Takraw Malaysia (PSM) organ ise the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup, which is scheduled to be held at Stadium Titiwangsa next month. Also present were Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, and PSM president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan. Sabah seeks crowd boost, free tickets for fans in Likas THE Sabah Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and Creative Economy will contribute 2,000 free tickets for the second leg of the 2025/26 Challenge Cup final between Sabah FC and Penang FC, which will be held at Likas Stadium on Sunday. Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said the tickets will be distributed starting this Saturday as a show of support for Sabah FC. “The distribution will be managed by the secretariat at the Sabah State Sports Board office, and further details on the time and location will be announced by the secretariat soon. “As the ministry responsible for sports development, we have provided 2,000 free tickets to football fans in Sabah, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis,” he told reporters after the ministry’s Aidilfitri thanksgiving ceremony here today. Nizam said the contribution is also an effort by the ministry to boost support for Sabah FC and to give added motivation to the players ahead of the final. He added that the state government has also agreed to provide a bonus to the team if Sabah FC emerge champions. Sabah FC had drawn 1-1 in the first leg against their opponents at the City Stadium in Penang on April 4, and the return leg, which will determine the champions, will be held at Likas Stadium. – Bernama Unlike previous formats, teams finishing seventh to 10th would remain in contention, advancing to a newly introduced knockout stage playoff for the remaining last 16 spots. Teams finishing seventh and eighth would have home advantage with the winners of those ties claiming the final places in the round of 16. However, a knockout stage playoff would not be introduced in the 2026/27 due to a congested global football calendar. The AFC plans to implement it in subsequent campaigns. All changes remain subject to approval by the AFC Executive Committee, though they are widely expected to be implemented as outlined. – Reuters

The funding, announced at the launch of the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy complex at Stadium Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, will be chan nelled towards athlete welfare, training support, the running of the association and the academy’s development. The move comes as the government pushes to raise the profile of sepak takraw as a heritage sport with broader national appeal. Anwar said the sport remained deeply rooted in local society, especially at grassroots level, but had not always received the recognition it deserved compared with other sports.

Fadhil keeps expectations low

NATIONAL track cyclist Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis is not setting high tar gets for the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup at the National Velodrome, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan from April 24 to 26. Muhammad Fadhil, who will com pete in the team sprint event with Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom and Mohamad Akmal Nazimi Jusena, is

Fadhil Zonis after finishing his race at the 2023 Asian Cycling Championship. – BERNAMAFILEPIC

aware of the difficult mission to win a medal given that many world-class cyclists are participat ing in the competition. “We know that for a team that has only been together for a year or two, getting a medal may still be a bit far. “But we will try to get to the first round first, that’s what’s important,” he said when met after the opening a store for Brooks, a US sports brand, at a leading shopping mall, here, last night. The national trio previously won gold in the event at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games in Bangkok, last December with a time of 1 minute 00.520 sec onds (s). They also broke the national record of 1:02.077s held by national track cycling champions Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, Josiah Ng and Muhammad Edrus Md Yunos at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Despite the presence of world champions in the tournament, Muhammad Fadhil said he and his teammates are still determined to give a stiff chal lenge to their rivals next week. The tournament will also be participated by the presence of Olympic gold medallists from the Netherlands Harrie Lavreysen, Nicholas Paul (Trinidad and Tobago), Sebastien Vigier (France), Luca Spiegel (Germany) and Danial Staniszewski (Poland). – Bernama

AFC eyes big expansion

Mahrez strike takes Al-Ahli into ACLE quarters TITLE HOLDERS Al-Ahli squeezed into the last eight of the Asian Champions League Elite on Monday when Riyad Mahrez’s 117th minute freekick secured a 1-0 win over Qatar’s Al-Duhail as four-times winners Al-Hilal exited on penal ties against Al-Sadd. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, were knocked out at the end of an enthralling clash with Al-Sadd that ended in a 3-3 draw before Qataris prevailed 4 2 in a shootout as Roberto Mancini won his coaching battle with fellow Italian Simone Inzaghi.

THE Asian Football Confederation (AFC) yesterday recommended the expansion of its premier club competition, proposing the AFC Champions League Elite move to a 32-team tournament from 24 starting from the 2026/27 season. Expansion would see the competition split with 16 teams each in the East and West regions, which the AFC said would boost competitiveness and inclusion across Asian club football. The continental governing body proposed revising progression criteria following the league stage to raise the stakes of the opening phase. Under the proposal, clubs finishing first to sixth in each of the two regions will qualify directly for the round of 16.

The 2010/11 Asian Champions League champion Al-Sadd will take on Vissel Kobe from Japan in the quarterfinals on Thursday with Al Ahli meeting Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim on Friday. The last 16 matches involving teams from the western side of the draw are being played as one-off encounters in Jeddah after the sched uled two-legged clashes were postponed last month due to the conflict in the Middle East. – Reuters

Mahrez bent home a stunning free kick to defeat the spirited Qataris, who had seen goal keeper Salah Zakaria save a penalty from Ivan Toney late in the first half of extra time at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. “It was a difficult game, I don’t think we played very good,” said Mahrez. “That’s why we went to extra time. “They’re a good team, Al-Duhail, but at the end we made it on a free kick and we’re happy to go through.”