KUALA LUMPUR – Following Perak’s success at the Sarawak Sukma, the Perak Hockey Association (PHA) is now targeting the Tun Abdul Razak Cup.
The men’s hockey squad ended a decade-long wait for the Sukma gold by defeating defending champions Pahang 3-2 in a nail-biting penalty shootout during the final, held at the Sarawak State Hockey Stadium on August 24.
Speaking to Scoop, PHA president Datuk Sayuti Samat said that his coaching team has been diligently working to find the right players to assemble a formidable side for this year’s Razak Cup.
He said that they are looking at combining both senior players and young talents from Sukma.
Under Sayuti’s leadership, Perak clinched the Razak Cup three consecutive times in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
“The boys have been playing exceptionally well since the beginning of Sukma, and their winning spirit has been really high. We made some changes to the coaching lineup after discussions with the Perak State Sports Council and decided to bring coach Nizam on board from SMK Anderson Ipoh. The reason for this decision is that the majority of the players are from the school.
“Our strategy worked, as the players started performing better under their school teacher, and these boys deserve a chance to be part of the Razak Cup squad.
“I will make sure that I push for them to be included in the Razak Cup squad, and we would love to win the tournament this year. Perak has won the title three years in a row under my leadership. In fact, last year we had a strong team and expected to be the champions, but luck wasn’t on our side. This year, I’m very serious about it, and we will go all out to be the champions with both the Sukma boys and the senior players.
“Pahang, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur will be our biggest contenders in the tournament this year. I’m really satisfied that under our management, we have been doing well. The only thing we haven’t achieved yet is indoor hockey, and for the next round, I will ensure we form a formidable team for that tournament as well,” Sayuti said when contacted.
This year’s Razak Cup schedule is yet to be announced by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), but it is expected to take place either next month or in October.
At the same time, Sayuti said that his players who excelled in Sukma this year also deserve to be part of the national junior team under the guidance of I. Vikneswaran.
“A few of our players are already juniors, especially the goalkeepers, who have been performing very well. I believe that several others from our current squad should also be called up by the MHC selection committee.
“They deserve to be called for training, and I hope they can make it into the national junior team,” Sayuti added.
MHC’s main target for its junior team is to qualify for next year’s Junior World Cup in India through the Junior Asia Cup. – August 27,2024
