‘INSPIRED’ BY THE PRESIDENT

National team come good after stinging rebuke from Subahan

PRESSURE turns charcoal into diamonds, and so some “inspirational words” from Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal turned a losing side into bronze medallists.

After wins over Poland and Japan, Malaysia took a slide when they were beaten by South Korea and India and it denied them a chance to play in the Azlan Shah Cup final.

Subahan did not mince his words or his disappointment, when he lambasted the players and officials, saying that the MHC had given them everything possible and it was now payback time.

After the Korea and India defeats, Subahan had noted: “No more excuses, no more statistics to back up a defeat, no more ‘we played well but lost’.

“I don’t want to hear all this from the coach (Roelant Oltmans) when we play in the Series Finals in KL.

“I want results. And it should start on Friday when we play Canada, and again on Saturday if both teams qualify for the bronze medal bracket,” said Subahan.

His prodding saw Malaysia beat Canada 3-2 (pool match) and 4-2 to win a second bronze.

However, everyone expected Malaysia to play in the final.

But it turned out to be just another tournament for the generous hosts, as

Korea claimed their third Azlan Shah Cup gold with India and Malaysia winning the silver and bronze respectively.

In the opening two matches, Oltmans’ side defeated Poland and Asian Games champions Japan with ease, setting the fans salivating for a miracle.

But this bunch cracked when it mattered most against India and Korea, and this has been happening for ages.

When Malaysia are under no pressure to deliver, they can beat the best in any tournament.

But when it matters most, the Malaysian team always falter.

Inspired by the warning from Subahan, the failure script was thrown out of the window, and it became a success story, albeit on a smaller scale.

Hopefully, Mr President will be on their minds again when they start their preOlympic Qualifier — the FIH Series Finals in Kuala Lumpur on April 26-May 4.

The other teams in the pre-Olympic Qualifier are not big guns, and Malaysia have the chance of winning it.

Group A comprises Canada, Austria, Wales and Belarus while Malaysia are in Group B with China, Brazil and Italy.

An appearance in the final against Canada and a possible gold medal by beating them for the third straight time, is what Malaysia need going into the final Olympic Qualifier in November.

No more excuses, no more statistics to back up a defeat, no more ‘we played well but lost’. I don’t want to hear all this from the coach (Roelant Oltmans) when we play in the Series Finals in KL.

MHC president