KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has denied allegations that there was a change in the fee rate of the umpires and that they were not being paid accordingly for their services in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL).
Speaking to Scoop, MHC treasurer Selvendran Savanamuthu agreed that there was a short delay in reimbursing the claims but also mentioned that the governing body thoroughly verifies the claims before processing reimbursements.
“There was not even an instance where we failed to pay our umpires, as we know how much hard work they put in to officiate the matches, and it’s not easy.
“We at MHC have always made sure that all the umpires get paid on time, even though sometimes the cummulative claims can go up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit. Not only that, we also take care of their accommodations, and we have never left anyone behind.
“The delay usually happens once in a blue moon when there are back-to-back tournaments that involve a lot of finance, hence the payment may experience a slight delay. Otherwise, everyone gets paid on time.
“There are times when we need to deal with a few umpires who tend to submit their claims after the cutoff dates, and there are also a few who tend to submit wrong claims.
“For instance, their house address could be in Kuala Lumpur, but they submit their claims as if they travelled from Johor. Despite these issues, we still compromise and ensure their payments are made,” said Selvendran.
MHC pays its umpires approximately RM80 per match.
Selvendran further expressed disappointment with a few umpires who are purposely stirring up baseless allegations against MHC without directly liaising with the governing body to address the issues they are supposedly facing.
“We are yet to identify who is coming up with these sorts of allegations towards us, but they should stop as it’s not right. We have always done our best and never left anyone behind with any pending payments over these years.
“Hence, those who are really having issues should speak directly to MHC about their problems, as we are always here to help them out. It’s not right to bad-mouth us behind our backs.
“MHC is not here to jeopardise anyone’s rice bowl, and we always pay our umpires accordingly if the documents are legitimate and valid,” Selvendran added.
According to a media report earlier, sources revealed that they were planning to boycott umpiring the MHL for this year after their payment rate was consistently altered over the years, with their allowances and claims also not being paid for months.
The MHL, established in 1987, is a top league competition for field hockey clubs in the Malaysian hockey league system.
With seven teams currently in the league, Terengganu is the defending champion.
The upcoming 2024 edition of the league is anticipated to commence next month. – January 23, 2024
