30/05/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | MAY 30, 2026

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Collective meltdown Singapore Open ends in disappointment for Malaysia M ALAYSIA’S campaign at the 2026 Singapore Open badminton tourna ment came to a devastating and com plete halt yesterday as the entire Aaron-Wooi Yik failed to stamp their authority on the match, allowing the Chinese pair to dic tate the tempo from the opening serve. The Malaysians lacked their signature tactical sharpness, frequently coughing up unforced errors.

TOUCHLINES B ARCELO N A are weighing up an approach for 24-year-old Arsenal and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie. MA N CHE S TER CITY and Portugal defender Ruben Dias, 29, has instructed his agent to explore options for a move away, with Paris St Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all monitoring his situation. LIVERPOOL are pushing for a quick agreement with R B Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, while Paris S t Germain and Manchester City are closely monitoring the situation and have already held talks with the 19-year-old Ivory Coast interna tional. CRY S TAL PALACE want to convince England midfielder Adam Wharton, 22, and Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada, 29, to stay following their Conference League final win. MA N CHE S TER U N ITED and Chelsea are among the clubs considering a move for S cott in the summer transfer window.

The Malaysians were leading 18-16 in the first game and looked completely in control before disaster struck. A sudden physical breakdown forced the pair to abruptly withdraw from the court. While the retirement was an unfortunate medical emergency rather than a sporting fail ure, it raises sharp questions about the physical conditioning, workload management, and dura bility of Malaysia’s top mixed doubles pair head ing into a demanding schedule. The solitary silver lining came from teenage prospects Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing, though they too ultimately fell short against India’s world No. 4 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, losing 21-19, 17-21, 13-21. The world No. 27 rookies showed immense bravery to snatch the opening game 21-19. However, the subsequent games served as a harsh lesson in elite-level badminton. Once the Indian veterans adjusted their serve-and-return tactics, the young Malaysians looked lost, showing a clear lack of a “Plan B.” Their composure cracked under the heavy attacking barrage of the Indians, exposing the massive gulf in experience. With the entire squad wiped out before the weekend, the 2026 Singapore Open stands as a grim wake-up call for Malaysian badminton. The tournament exposed a brittle mental game in high-stakes matches, a lack of tactical flexibility when initial game plans fail, and seri ous concerns over player fitness. Malaysian supporters proud,” he said. He added that the team’s primary goal is to deliver their best performance to open up oppor tunities to reach the final in the tournament. For the competition in Cape Town, Malaysia is drawn in Group A alongside Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Scotland, with the target of fin ishing in the top two to qualify for the semifinals. After the conclusion of the Nations Cup cam paign, the Speedy Tigers will continue their team building session in South Africa before returning to Kuala Lumpur on July 14 to prepare for the 2026 World Cup and the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. – Bernama work on contract signings based on ongo ing planning processes towards the end of the season,” he said. Commenting on the situation involv ing two Selangor FC foreign players, Noor Al-Rawabdeh and Mohammad Abdulnadi, who have joined the Jordan national team camp for the 2026 World Cup, Johan acknowledged that they are evaluating the matter to protect its inter est. He said any potential transfer or increase in the players’ commercial value will be assessed more clearly after a full evaluation within the next one to two months. “In fact, we are still in discussions because of course when players go to the World Cup, their market value increases as more teams and coaches will be watching them. So, we will evaluate how the tour nament outcome affects the situation,” he said. – Bernama

national contingent crashed out in the quarterfi nals, exposing worrying vulnerabilities under pressure. What promised to be a golden opportunity for silverware instead turned into a collective melt down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. With three men’s dou

It was a toothless defensive display from the veteran pair, who surrendered their Super 750 crown without offering much of a fight in the sec ond game. World No. 8 independent pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani also bowed out, losing 18 21, 21-10, 14-21 to Indonesia’s third seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. While exhaustion was an obvious factor – this was their 12th high-intensity match in 17 days – the Malaysians’ tactical rigidity in the deciding game was highly concerning. After a brilliant second game where they com pletely dismantled the Indonesians 21-10, Sze Fei-Izzuddin failed to adapt when the Indonesian pair changed their strategy in the third. Instead of slowing down the pace to manage their energy, the Malaysians continued to engage in frantic, flat exchanges, completely running out of gas and ideas to gift-wrap the decider to the Indonesians. In the mixed doubles, third seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei suffered an agonising exit, retiring from their match against

bles pairs and a mixed doubles duo on court, Malaysia failed to secure a single semifi nal spot, leaving the national squad empty handed and search ing for answers. The heaviest blow fell on second seeds and defending cham pions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. Facing China’s fifth seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, the world No. 2 Malaysians looked uncharacteristically sluggish, slumped to a

WE S T HAM and Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug wants to leave after their relegation with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen among those interested in the 33 year-old.

straight-game 15 21, 15-21 defeat.

India’s Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto.

PORTUGUE S E side S porting want to re sign 30-year-old Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha when his season-long loan at Tottenham from B ayern Munich ends. LEED S U N ITED are lining up a move for 24-year-old Lyon and United States mid fielder Tanner Tessmann as part of a busy summer of transfer business. MA N CITY are considering their options if

Red Giants to stick with Pan Gon

S ELA N GOR FC have decided to retain South Korean coach Kim Pan Gon to lead the team despite having to operate on a reduced financial projection following the absence of a slot in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions. Selangor FC chief

tion during his tenure to bring the team to a higher level through various plans that are fully supported by the management,” he told a media conference at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Red Giants FC Sdn Bhd and WTM Media Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Meanwhile, he said the Red Giants management confirmed that the club’s financial projection will be reduced by 10% from its overall budget of RM20 mil lion, with a full focus on domestic compe titions. “The management assured that the quality of the current squad will not be drastically affected as the focus now shifts entirely to domestic competitions, includ ing reassessing the foreign player quota according to current needs despite the constraints. “Pan Gon will have full control of player selection and we, the management, will

executive officer Dr. Johan Kamal Hamidon said the decision was made based on Pan Gon’s ability in building a strong team founda

B razil winger S avinho, 22, who is a tar get for S purs, ends up leav ing the club.

tion during his first five months in charge of the Red Giants. “We (team management) are extremely pleased with his performance. In just five months, he has tried to under stand the club’s culture, the local league and the players. “He has established a good founda

Selangor head coach Kim Pan Gon. – SPORTFIVE

Speedy Tigers get much needed injection for Nations Cup

THREE players recalled to the national squad are expected to inject new blood into the Speedy Tigers ahead of the 2025/26 Men’s Hockey Nations Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, from June 11 to 20. Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) national team management committee chair man Datuk Ahmad Najmi Abdul Razak said that goalkeeper Muhamad Zaimi Mat Deris, defender Muhamad Faris Harizan, and midfielder Muhammad Addy Jazmi Jamlus are among the names returning to the national squad for their first international assignment under new head coach Brendon Carolan.

Meanwhile, Carolan said the selected line-up is ready to spearhead the nation’s challenge in Cape Town, including young players who were given opportunities during an expanded training camp featuring 34 players. “Training has gone well with the expanded squad of 34 players. This allowed us to play com petitive internal matches and expose the younger players in the team to the required stan dards. “Our focus right now is entirely on our own performance and team standards. This includes improving our defensive quality as well as main taining the motivation to make our families and

He added that the combination of veteran and recalled players is hoped to forge stronger chemistry while elevating the team’s quality of play ahead of the prestigious tournament. “This is the first tournament under the new coach, and several recalled players are joining the squad for this campaign,” he said in a MHC state ment. “We hope the combination of returning and existing players can build a solid chemistry and deliver their best performance. “We also hope the players will showcase a braver display and put up a fierce fight in every match they face.