KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey forward Faizal Saari is excited to work under the newly appointed national hockey head coach, Sarjit Singh, whom he describes as his “godfather”.
The veteran forward is ready to prove his worth after being sidelined due to a gout injury sustained during the Hangzhou Asian Games match against Pakistan in September last year.
Speaking to Scoop, the 33-year-old, who has scored 176 goals in 226 appearances since making his senior debut in 2009, described Sarjit as a coach whom he has always looked up to since his younger days and credited him for giving him a life through the sport.
“Coach Sarjit was the one who made me into what I am today, and he was the one who scouted me and brought me to the Terengganu hockey team when I was 16 years old.
“He is a very passionate and patriotic coach, and I will never forget the days when he would put in the hours to train and mould me so that I was able to reach my full potential.
“He inspired me to always give my 100%, and when I was playing for him, I would go to any extent to win the matches for him and the team. Despite the challenges, playing under his tutelage was always fun, and most of the career achievements that I have won were under him.
“Now that he has been appointed as the head coach for the national team, I’m more pumped to work under him and give my blood and sweat for the country if I happen to be selected in the new team that he’s planning to assemble,” said Faizal.
Sarjit, who signed a two-year contract to replace former head coach Arul Selvaraj, whose tenure ended after the Olympic qualifier in Muscat, Oman, last month, has scouted between 40 and 42 players from the ongoing Malaysia Hockey League.
Sarjit will commence training with the selected players on March 19.
Meanwhile, Faizal admitted that he had been going through a rough patch over the past years and emphasised that he was never the person that certain individuals perceived him to be.
“I have been playing hockey for the past 15 years, but I would say that the last four years were not going so well for me, especially with my performance for the national team.
“I have worked with several national coaches over the years, and I would like to take this moment to say that I was never a person who was disobedient, a troublemaker, or someone who didn’t listen to instructions.
“I have just recovered from my injury, and I can’t wait to step on the turf and prove my doubters wrong,” Faizal added.
Sarjit’s first assignment will be the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from May 4 to 11, followed by the Nations Cup in Poland (May 31 to June 9) and the Asian Champions Trophy in Inner Mongolia, China (September 8 to 17). – March 5, 2024