KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has made it clear that they will not bow down to any pressure and terminate Sarjit Singh’s contract.
The governing body’s response comes after certain quarters have been calling for the termination of Sarjit, as the national team had a disappointing campaign in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), where they finished last in the six-team tournament.
Before the ACT, the team finished fourth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in May and seventh in the Nations Cup in June.
Speaking to Scoop, MHC coaching committee chairman Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah said Sarjit deserves more time to rebuild his team, and it would not be fair for the committee to judge his tactics after just a few months in charge.
Sarjit was appointed head coach by the MHC on a two-year contract in March this year.
“We will not take any action regarding the team’s performance in the ACT. We need to be fair to him and allow him to complete what he has started.
“I have never seen a coach in our country take as many risks as he has by dropping most of our senior players and giving opportunities to youngsters.
“People tend to overlook the bigger picture and fail to see what he’s doing for the future. We can’t expect him to work miracles in such a short time after coming on board.
“We will certainly evaluate the next steps if the team fails to win a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but for now, we trust Sarjit’s process and are impressed with the number of physical programmes he’s introducing to the team.
“We will review the ACT report once Sarjit submits it in the next few days, and we will continue to provide him with whatever he needs for the national team,” said Majid when contacted.
At the same time, Majid also said that the committee will consider bringing on a performance director to assist Sarjit in the coming months.
Previously, MHC had plans to bring in master tactician Kim Sang-ryul as the national team’s high-performance director, but they were unable to do so as he was under contract as a consultant for China’s national men’s and women’s teams.
“We haven’t had a chance to discuss this matter with Sarjit yet, but we will definitely review it and see who we can bring on board in the months to come.
“Of course, we will have to work within our budget and find the right person for the role,” Majid added.
In the ACT, Malaysia managed just one win from six matches, scoring 17 goals but conceding 25, failing to meet the Malaysian Hockey Confederation’s (MHC) top-four target.
Their most humiliating defeat came at the hands of India – an 8-1 drubbing, marking their worst defeat in 36 encounters with the world number five side since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. – September 19, 2024