KUALA LUMPUR — National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh hopes to see more of his players following in the footsteps of the Saari brothers — Faizal Saari and Fitri Saari — by pursuing their playing careers abroad.
Faizal is currently on fire in the Bangladesh Hockey League, having scored a total of 12 goals in six matches for Mohammedan Sporting Club, which currently sits second in the league.
The 33-year-old experienced forward has previously played in six foreign leagues — in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, India, Hong Kong, and Oman.
On the other hand, his younger brother, 31-year-old Fitri, also has experience playing in foreign leagues in India and Bangladesh throughout his 13-year career.
Sarjit said that he pledges to guide his young players in his newly revamped team to reach greater heights by ensuring that they play in leagues abroad, specifically in the top 12 ranked teams in the world.
“It’s every coach’s dream to see their players playing in some of the top leagues in the world, and I want my players to achieve whatever Faizal and Fitri have achieved in their careers.
“If we realise it, the top players in the world have a lot of experience playing in the top leagues, and that’s the reason why they tend to do well when they represent their countries.
“When our players play abroad, they come back with a lot of experience, and it can be really useful for our national team.
“This is the time for our young players to shine, and as a coach, my job is to ensure that they reach the top.
“I will definitely help the boys elevate their performances, and I hope to see them being scouted and playing in the leagues of the top 12 ranked hockey countries in the world,” said Sarjit during a press conference at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
46 players were selected by the gaffer to join the selection camp from the recently concluded Malaysia Hockey League, held from March 19 to 31.
Today, the roster was trimmed down to 30 players with an average age of 25 years old who will begin preparation for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Nations Cup in May.
At the same time, Sarjit assured that 16 out of the 46 players who were not selected for his team will still be given a chance to represent the country in the future, probably in junior tournaments and the hockey 5s series in the years to come.
In regards to the junior team, the Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) has yet to come up with a definitive answer on who will be its new junior head coach, citing that the coaching committee is still yet to finalise its discussion with the candidates.
The 61-year-old Sarjit was appointed on a two-year contract by MHC.
His main target is to build a formidable team for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya and lead the Speedy Tigers to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In addition to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup in Poland, Sarjit’s team will participate in the Asian Champions Trophy in Inner Mongolia, China, scheduled to take place from September 8 to 17.
The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 13th in the world, with 1,828.27 points. — March 2, 2024