KUALA LUMPUR – Sarjit Singh will decide on the structure of the national team in the days to come.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has said that its newly appointed head coach, Sarjit Singh, will decide on the national team’s system and direction based on suggestions from its coaching committee.
MHC has given Sarjit Singh a two-year contract, replacing former head coach Arul Selvaraj, whose tenure ended after the Olympic qualifier in Muscat, Oman, last month.
The 61-year-old Sarjit, who previously coached the Johor state team, helmed the national side from January 2007 to December 2008.
Previously, Scoop reported that the coaching committee, under the leadership of Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah, has suggested the governing body form three national teams, the Speedy Tigers, Speedy Tigers B, and the Young Tigers, within their existing budget to provide players with more exposure to enhance their performance.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that the board has already presented the idea to Sarjit, and the coaching committee is ready to make changes based on the needs of the head coach.
“Certain things we cannot reveal, but one thing is for sure: all board members have agreed that Sarjit will decide on the structure of the national team in the days to come.
“The idea presented by the coaching committee is interesting, and it’s now up to the coach to decide whether he wants to use it.
“The coaching committee will definitely be ready to make some changes to the arrangements based on his suggestions. Many people have criticised us (MHC) in the past for failing to do our duties.
“But that’s not true; we have always been doing our best for the betterment of the game. The only thing that went wrong was that we did not qualify for the Paris Olympics.
“It is unfortunate that the Olympics are only a 12-team competition. Other Asian teams, including South Korea, Japan, and Pakistan, also did not qualify,” said Subahan during a press conference at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium today.
India, ranked fourth in the world, will be the only Asian team playing in Paris. – March 3, 2024