Team told to go for gold

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) want the national team to win the FIH Series Finals on April 26-May 4 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

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

Captain Shukri Mutalib and No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar may not play in the event, which is a preOlympic qualifying tournament, as they are still injured.

Both picked up injuries during the Malaysia Hockey League.

“Kumar has a 50 per cent chance of recovering from his injury. However, Shukri’s injury is serious... he only has a 30 per cent chance of recovering for the assignment,” said national coach Roelant Oltmans yesterday.

However, Oltmans is not overly worried as he has already tested options in the recent Azlan Shah Cup.

“Every player in my squad has the capability to take the place of another. So, even if some are unavailable, I am not overly worried,” Oltmans added.

MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said: “It is time for the players to perform well as they have been given the necessary support to prepare for the tournament. The same goes for the coaching staff.

“The target is to win the gold as our mission is to qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

“Players like Kumar, Shukri and Tengku (Ahmad Tajuddin) might not be able to continue playing four years from now, so this could be their last chance to be regarded as Olympians,” said Subahan.