No razie and nabil for KLHC

KUALA LUMPUR: Former champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club’s (KLHC) campaign in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) has hit a snag even before the tournament gets under way next month.

Two of their most influential players – skipper Mohd Razie Rahim and Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor (pic) – will not be able to play in the MHL as they are still attending training to become police inspectors.

The Police Training Centre (Pulapol) has confirmed that the duo will not be released to play in the local league.

“The two – Razie and Nabil – are undergoing training at Pulapol. They will not be released to play in the Malaysia Hockey League until the completion of their training,” said SAC Zahari Mohd Yusoff, who is the Commander of Pulapol.

“However, if their services are needed by the national team, we can consider (giving) time-off for the two players to attend training.”

The former double champions registered both players for the MHL despite knowing they are attending Police training.

Razie is a vital cog in the KLHC defence and is also their penalty corner specialist.

Nabil mans the midfield and is adept at scoring field goals.

The KLHC have hired six foreign players for this year’s MHL. They are Jelte van Gennip (Holland), Pedro Lopez-Alonso (Spain), Ali Shan, Abdul Haseem Khan, Mohamed Umar Bhutta (all Pakistan), Nam Hyun-woo (South Korea).

The KLHC team are coached by Singapore’s Mohd Harun Rashid and assisted by Mohd Harfizi Baharom.

The registration of players closed on Friday.

The Premier Division will start on Aug 19 while the Division One and Women’s League will start on Aug 5.