13/11/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | NOV 13, 2026

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Ahmad Muaz strikes out after 16 years National kegler retires, highlighted by World Cup triumph, Asian Games silver N ATIONAL kegler Ahmad Muaz Mohd Fishol will bring his 16-year journey with the national team to a close this month, ending a career in which he “But Alhamdulillah , Allah had His own plans. Even after all these years, I was still given the chance to win, to compete and to show that I still had something to give. For that, I’ll always be grateful,” he said in a statement. porters for their contributions throughout his career.

Red Giants file report over FA Cup semifinal fracas SELANGOR FC have submitted an official written report to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following the fracas involving players and officials during Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal second-leg encounter against Kuching City FC. The incident occurred towards the end of extra-time at the Taha Ariffin Stadium in Kuching, shortly after Kuching City scored the decisive goal to secure a 2-0 victory and advance to the final with a 3-2 aggre gate triumph. In a statement, Selangor FC said the report was submitted to enable the inci dent to be properly reviewed and investi gated by the relevant authorities. The club also gave its assurance that it would continue to defend the rights and safety of its players and officials under any circumstances. “Selangor FC firmly upholds the princi ples of professionalism and sportsman ship, and will continue to cooperate fully with FAM to ensure a fair and impartial investigation, in order to protect the standing of Malaysian football. For the Pride!” the statement said. The confrontation reportedly erupted near the Selangor bench following Mukhairi Ajmal’s own goal in the 118th minute, which put Kuching City ahead and effectively ended the visitors’ FA Cup campaign. Selangor head coach Kim Pan-gon subsequently called for an investigation, alleging that Kuching City midfielder Nazmi Faiz Mansor had approached the visiting team’s bench to provoke him dur ing the celebrations. Pan-gon maintained that Selangor’s players and officials had intervened to protect him during the incident. The altercation also resulted in Selangor midfielder Eduardo Sosa and fit ness coach Joel Dones being shown red cards. The incident has since drawn the attention of the Malaysian Football League (MFL), which yesterday confirmed that all reports and relevant evidence had been submitted to FAM for review and fur ther action through its Disciplinary Committee. The MFL said the documents included reports from the match commissioner, match coordinator, refereeing team, refe ree assessor and chief field officer. It also said it was reviewing possible follow-up action within the rules and powers under its jurisdiction, stressing that it would not compromise with any one found to have instigated the fracas or behaved inappropriately. On the field, Kuching City overturned Selangor’s 2-1 advantage from the first leg after Safawi Rasid converted a 57th-min ute penalty to level the aggregate score at 2-2. The hosts had been awarded the spot kick following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review of an incident involving Selangor defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar and Kuching City forward Jerome Mpacko Etame. With neither side able to find another goal during regulation time, the match went into extra-time before Mukhairi’s unfortunate own goal sealed Kuching City’s historic passage to their first FA Cup final. Kuching City will now face defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in the final scheduled for Jan 16 next year. – Bernama/Agencies FAM’s investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and determine whether any disciplinary breaches were committed by the individuals involved. – Bernama

He reserved special appreciation for his wife and son, whose understanding and support had helped him through the sacrifices associated with life as a national athlete, as well as his parents, who introduced him to bowling and supported him from the beginning. Among the defining moments of his career was helping the Malaysian men’s team make his tory by capturing their maiden title at the International Bowling Federation World Cup in Kowloon, Hong Kong, last year. He was also part of the Malaysian men’s trio team that secured the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. At the individual level, Ahmad Muaz enjoyed several notable successes, including winning the Indonesia Open in 2016, Malaysia Open in 2019 and Hong Kong Open 2026. – Bernama THE Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has dismissed speculation that Malaysia could host the opening race of the 2027 Formula One (F1) season should security concerns force changes to the championship calendar. SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif confirmed this when contacted by Bernama on Wednesday night, giving a brief response: “This is not true.” His denial follows a social media post by F1 Lead, an F1 news portal, suggesting that Sepang could be con sidered as an alternative venue for the 2027 season opener if security concerns in the Middle East were to disrupt the race calendar. The post claimed that Malaysia’s iconic circuit could be in contention to host the opening round should Bahrain and Saudi Arabia be unable to stage their respective Grands Prix (GPs) because of the regional security situation. However, SIC’s response has put paid to the specula tion, with no indication that Malaysia is being consid ered as a replacement host for either race. According to the official F1 website, the Bahrain GP is scheduled to open the 2027 season from March 12 to 14, followed by the Saudi Arabian GP from March 19 to 21. Both races are important fixtures on the early-sea son calendar, and any disruption would potentially require F1 to consider alternative arrangements to ensure the championship proceeds as scheduled. The latest speculation has also revived memories of Malaysia’s long association with the sport, with Sepang having served as a regular venue on the F1 calendar for almost two decades. Malaysia hosted its first Malaysian GP in 1999, with the race becoming a fixture at the circuit until 2017, when it was dropped from the calendar. Sepang’s reputation as one of the more challenging circuits on the calendar, featuring a combination of long straights and demanding corners, helped establish it as a popular venue among drivers and fans. Last month, SIC hosted the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 after the race at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia. That development had already highlighted how regional instability could affect the F1 calendar, with the latest reports prompting speculation over whether Sepang might once again feature in the championship. However, Azhan’s categorical denial makes clear that the suggestion of Malaysia hosting the 2027 season opener should not be taken as an indication of any con firmed plans. For now, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs remain scheduled as the opening two rounds of the 2027 F1 season, with Sepang’s return to the calendar remaining speculation. – Bernama SIC shoots down F1 speculation

played a part in some of Malaysia’s most memora ble achievements on the international stage. Reflecting on his decision, the 33-year-old bowler admitted that walking away from a sport that had been part of his life for so long was not an easy choice. He acknowledged that his career had been filled with ups and downs, including periods of self-doubt and disappointment, but said he remained grateful for the opportunities to con tinue competing and winning despite the chal lenges. “There were times I questioned myself, times I felt disappointed and times I wondered if I still had it in me. There were also people who thought my best days were already over.

Despite leaving the national team, Ahmad Muaz made it clear that he has no intention of completely walking away from the sport. “It’s going to feel different not wearing that jer sey anymore. But one thing is for sure, no matter where life takes me after this, I’ll always be proud that I once had the opportunity to represent Malaysia. “This isn’t the end of my bowling story. Just a new chapter in life,” he said. The Penang-born kegler also expressed his appreciation to his teammates, coaches, manag ers, the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), National Sports Council (MSN), National Sports Institute (ISN), sponsors and sup

Aaron-Roy King stun Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin in Japan

National shuttlers Aaron Tai (left) and Yap Roy King. – @BAM/Facebook

NATIONAL men’s doubles pair Aaron Tai Yap Roy King pulled off a major upset by knocking out their higher-ranked compatri ots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani to book their place in the quarter finals of the Japan Masters Badminton Championships yesterday. The world No. 57 combination needed just 28 minutes to dispatch the world No. 5 and fourth seeds 21-14, 21-15 in an all Malaysian second-round encounter at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. The victory was a significant boost for Aaron-Roy King, who demonstrated their ability to compete against some of the world’s leading pairs by producing a com posed performance to overcome their more experienced opponents. Having cleared that hurdle, the Malaysians now face another stern exami nation when they take on Taiwan’s world No. 15 Lee Jhe-Huei-Yang Po-hsuan in the quarterfinals. Aaron-Roy King will need to maintain their momentum against the Taiwanese combination if they are to secure a place in the last four.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s other men’s dou bles representatives Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun saw their campaign come to an end after suffering a straight-game defeat in the second round. The eighth seeds, ranked world No. 26, went down 15-21, 18-21 to Denmark’s world No. 14 Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in 34 minutes. It was a disappointing exit for Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who had been among Malaysia’s seeded contenders in the tourna ment. In the mixed doubles, national pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing also failed to progress after losing 12-21, 19-21 to China’s Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin. The Malaysians fought harder in the sec ond game but could not prevent their Chinese opponents from sealing the match in straight games. With the exits of Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Pang Ron-Pei Jing, Aaron-Roy King remain among Malaysia’s key hopes in the men’s doubles event as they prepare for their quarterfinal chal lenge. – Bernama