Salary woes back to haunt Malaysian footballers

PETALING JAYA: It’s happening again. Even as the Malaysian League season winds down, it has come to light that several clubs have not paid their players and staff for months. Kedah, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and even Kuala Lumpur are caught in their perennial problem. A source close to the Kedah team revealed that the team have not...

Malaysia lose 0-2 to Tajikistan in Merdeka Tournament final

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia failed to win the Merdeka Tournament after they lost to Tajikistan 2-0 in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here on Tuesday (Oct 17). The Persian Lions drew first blood when striker Rustam Soirov scored in the 44th minute when he received a brilliant through pass from Alisher Shukorov. Malaysia could...

Win the Merdeka Tournament for home fans, says Pan-gon

SUBANG JAYA: National coach Kim Pan-gon wants his boys to win and also entertain the fans in the final of the Merdeka Tournament. Malaysia will take on Tajikistan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (Oct 17) as they look to retain the trophy. Malaysia had beated Myanmar 2-0 in the final when the...

JDT get over AFC defeat to crush Negri in Malaysia Cup

PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) rose from their recent defeat to reach the Malaysia Cup semi-finals in style. The Southern Tigers came out in full force to snatch a 4-1 win over Negri Sembilan in the quarter-final second leg match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Saturday. They had beaten Negri 3-0 in the...

Soccer-Man United lose again, Guardiola back to see City comeback win

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Manchester United slumped to a third Premier League loss of the season at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday as Pep Guardiola returned to see Manchester City side's 3-1 comeback win at West Ham United. Fightbacks were the order of the day as Liverpool recovered from falling behind to win 3-1...

Soccer-Lack of European football good for injury-hit Chelsea says Pochettino

LONDON (Reuters) - The absence of European football will help Chelsea cope with their long list of injuries, Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday, but the Argentine manager added he was confident the Premier League club will return to continental competition next season. Chelsea, the 2021 Champions League winners, endured a turbulent campaign last season and finished...

Soccer-Juve’s Pogba provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone

(Reuters) -Juventus's France midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, Italy's national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal said on Monday. The test, performed after Juve's 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on Aug. 20, detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes' endurance. "In acceptance of the instance proposed by the...

Soccer-Brazil thrash Bolivia 5-1 in Neymar’s record-breaking appearance

BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -Brazil lived up to expectations by smashing Bolivia 5-1 at home in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers opener on Friday, with Neymar surpassing the late great Pele as the country's top scorer. The 31-year-old Neymar, who recently joined Saudi side Al-Hilal, bounced back after missing a penalty in the first half, scoring two...

Safawi hopes to score and bring pride to the nation

PETALING JAYA: China can be deemed a happy hunting ground for Safawi Rasid (pic). The Johor Darul Ta’zim winger scored two goals in the AFC Under-23 Championships for Harimau Muda in Changshu, China in 2018, and many believe he could continue his luck when the national team play in  two international friendlies in Chengdu this week. The...