Jakarta Casual

Ok so at first glance a 3-1 reverse may not seem the best result in the world but do not underestimate Amri Yahya's late goal for Johor Darul Tazim last night against Qadsia. It was always going to be a tough night against the AFC Cup holders

Doris Fuakuputu gave the home team the lead in the first half and the experienced Bader Al Motowa made it a two goal cushion when he converted from the spot just before half time. Seydouba Soumah made it 3-0 on 58 minutes and the tie seemed all but over for JDT. However substitute Amri Yahya, on for Gary Steven Robbat, pulled back a consolation on 82 minutes that could be oh so vital going into the second leg at the Larkin Stadium.

In Indonesia the draw has been made for the President Cup.

03/10 Arema v Sriwijaya
04/10 Mitra Kukar v Persib

10/10 Persib v Mitra Kukar
11/10 Sriwijaya v Persib

I am not sure Persib will be too upset about journeying to Palembang for the second leg...it was there after all they were confirmed Indonesia Super League champions last year. The haze, though, could yet prove to be the elephant in the room with many flights being delayed in and out of Sumatra at the moment.

Can they still call the Singapore Cup the Singapore Cup? Tonight sees the semi final stage with a Filipino, Brunei, Japanese side vie for a spot in the final alongside one Singapore representative; Home United.

30/09 Global v Albirex Niigata
30/09 DPMM v Home United

Second legs to be played Friday. Again the threat of the haze looms over the ties with SLeague games recently postponed thanks to be the poisonous air.

In the Malaysia Cup JDT's second string side, known as JDT II headed north to Alor Setar to take on Kedah and returned with a 3-2 win thanks to the Singapore influence. Shahril Ishak gave the visitors the lead on 15th minute before Sandro da Silva restored local pride on 38 minutes. It was then the turn of Baihakki Khaizan to get on the score sheet, netting in injury time of the first half.

Chidi Edeh raised the roof for the home side on 55 minutes when he levelled but any thoughts they could kick on for a win were dashed when Zaquan Adha made it 3-2 with 11 minutes. Could a JDT side appear in the AFC Cup Final and the Malaysia Cup Final? That would certainly be something different...

It seems ages ago that I travelled to Malaysia to catch Johor Darul Tazim take on East Bengal in the AFC Cup. In fact it was February, seven months back. JDT defeated the Indian side 4-1 with goals from Nazrin Nawi, Safiq Rahim, Safee Sali and Chanthuru Suppirah in front of 12,000 plus fans at the Larkin Stadium. It was the first game of a journey that has seen the Malaysian side travel to India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hong Kong again, a journey that sees them playing in the semi finals of the AFC Cup for the first time in their history.

Qadsia, yellow, in action against Kuwait SC in Premier League 2014/25

Their opponents are Kuwaiti side Qadsia and it is probably fair to say they are little known outside of the Middle East. In Kuwait they are probably the biggest side in the country with almost everyone you speak to saying they support the team in yellow. At the tail end of the 2014/2015 season they were still in with a shout of lifting the Kuwait Premier League and they were playing Al Arabi, another contender in a three horse race that also featured Kuwait SC. An estimated 25,000 filled Arabi's stadium in Mansouriya, comfortably the largest crowd of the season. The game ended 0-0 and with it Qadsia's title ambitions.

Qadsia have a proud tradition in the AFC Cup, reaching their first final in 2010 when they lost to Al Ittihad (Syria) on penalties at the Jabar International Stadium in Kuwait, a game watched by more than 58,000 fans at a stadium that has never been used since.

The following two seasons saw Qadsia reach the Group of 16, each time failing to get the better of their arch nemisis Kuwait SC after penalty shoot outs but in 2013 they reached the final one more time where they met...yep, you guessed it Kuwait SC. Needless to say they lost, 2-0, but they were getting closer to their holy grail and in 2014 they defeated Iraqi side on penalties to lift the trophy for the first time. It was a run that had seen them travel to Indonesia to play Persipura Jayapura, some trek that from the Middle East, and having won the first leg at home 4-2 there was a feeling the Black Pearls had enough to get the job done on their home patch, especially after they had convincingly brushed aside Kuwait SC in the previous round (2-3, 6-1).

Qadsia however made the long journey look simple, crushing Persipura 6-0 on their own patch and setting up an all Middle East final. Again. Since the competition started in 2004 Middle Eastern sides have come to look upon it as their own piece of silverware with Kuwaiti clubs lifting it four times, Jordan sides three times, Syria and Bahrain once each. The only break in the domination came in 2011 when Uzbekistan side FC Nasaf defeated Kuwait SC in the final.

With Kuwait SC taking on FC Istiklol in the other semi final the AFC Cup could well be ending up in the Middle East again.

Domestically the 2014/2015 season wont go down in the annals as one of Qadsia's best. They faded towards the end of the Premier League season, a 1-0 loss at home to perennial rivals Kuwait SC was soon followed by the disappointing draw against Al Arabi and finishing a disappointing fourth, 10 points off the leaders Kuwait SC.

The 2015/2016 Premier League season has yet to begin. However Qadsia are not going into the game against JDT totally unprepared. They have already overcome Syrian's Al Jaish 3-2 in the quarter final tie of the AFC Cup and while they dominated the first leg, played at Kuwait SC stadium, and could have won by a bigger margin than 3-0, they struggled in the second leg, ostensibly an Al Jaish home game but played at the same venue, and even managed to miss a penalty.

That inconsistency has also been evident in the Federation Cup. They opened their campaign with rusty, if gritty, 2-2 draw against Al Yarmouk, forced to come behind twice against the unfancied side.

They followed that by defeating Al Fahaheel 4-1 before thrashing Al Tadamun 6-0. The goal gluts though came against traditionally weak sides but with so many goals coming in the latter stages of the games JDT need be under no illusions as to the fitness of the Qadsia squad. A 0-0 draw against AL Arabi last night need be of no significance ahead of tonight's tie as Qadsia have been treating the Federation Cup as a squad competition, rotating players at will subject to the other, more important fixtures.

Last week for example they came up against Kuwait SC one more time in the Super Cup with Kuwait SC winning comfortably 3-1.

It is fair to say then Qadsia have yet to get into their stride. The losses against Al Jaish and Kuwait SC in the more important games suggest they are a team that can be got at but JDT should not underestimate the fitness levels of their opponents who are of course used to playing in the heat of the gulf.

One player JDT should be already aware of is Bader Al Mutawa. He wears the 17 shirt and so do legions of Qadsia fans in recognition of the Kuwaiti international who has been with the club since 2012 save a couple of spells overseas in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  Back in 2012 he also had trials with Nottingham Forest but was unable to secure the necessary paperwork. Perhaps lacking the pace of a few years ago, Mutawa strikes me as being a Teddy Sheringham type player, intelligent, quick thinking.

For goals, Qadsia will be looking to Congolese striker Doris Fuakumputu, signed from Saudi side Al Fateh where he averaged nearly a goal every other game over a five year period. He too is the wrong side of 30 and when I saw him play against Al Yarmouk and Al Jaish he did perhaps look a bit off the pace.

Tonight's game is crucial for JDT. To take a point back to their Larkin Stadium would be a magnificent achievement and despite Qadsias claims to a large support they frequently play in front of crowds around 3 or 4,000. Playing in front of a hostile JDT crowd could well be a nerve wracking experience for many. JDT also have the experience of a long campaign behind them. They are used to playing with each other and know each others strengths and weaknesses while Qadsia are still a work in progress. However the absence of striker Luciamo Figuero after he was red carded against South China could be a big miss.

It promises to be an intriguing game this evening and a point for JDT would be a monumental achievement as well as the first step to an AFC Cup Final in a season when Malaysian football
has embarrassed so many

The curse of the late fixture change has struck again. After my Nepal break I had hoped to catch an Arabian Gulf League game in Sharjah before flying from Dubai to Kuwait and taking my pick from the Federation Cup ties being held today.

Of course things don't work that simply, do they? First came the news the AGL games had been put back 24 hours meaning I had the choice of expensive taxi rides to Abu Dhabi or spending time in the pub...Then I hear the Federation Cup ties were put back 24 hours meaning the Sunday games had become Monday games!

See, it's not just South East Asia!

Last weekend in the President Cup Persebaya United defeated Sriwijaya 1-0 thanks to an 83rd minute goal from Slamet Dwi Cayoho. Today they meet in the second leg of their quarter final tie with one difference. Persebaya United are now called Bonek United.

Yep, you read that right. Midway through a competition a football club has decided to change its name and indeed its badge.

In one respect this is a victory for the fans of Persebaya  who are known as Bonek. They have never regarded Persebaya United, nee Persebaya, nee Persikubar, as their team from their city. When the rebel league was formed in 2011 the Bonek en mass followed Persebaya 1927.

Quite Persebaya United carry on is beyond me. The fans have long voted with their feet; an estimated 25,000 turned out for a friendly between Persebaya 1927 and Persibo ahead of the recent Independence Cup Final while there has been little to no interest in United's attempts in the President Cup.

The name change is a naked attempt to get fans on their side but it is doomed to failure and it is time the whole sorry saga was put to bed once and for all. A strong Persebaya with their passionate fans will generate more interest in Indonesian football. The current farce just ensures the laughs won't go away.

Indeed as I type this comes news Persebaya United/Bonek United have pulled out of their tie with Sriwijaya due to be played today...There seems to be a large crowd in Palembang for the tie and officials are discussing whether to play the game or not!

UPDATE - game awarded 3-0 to Sriwijaya. Bonek United stayed in the dressing room it seems.

There are many reasons to visit Nepal. There's that spiritual lark that had hippies heading here by the combi load in the late 1960s, in search of love, peace and ganga man. Then there are the mountains, bloody great big things with snow and stuff that some people seem to think are great fun to climb. Me? I certainly didn't come in search of the inner me and I was knackered climbing the stairs to the Tom and Jerry pub.

But once I heard there would be a couple of games on, ee, proper excited I was. I spent the morning walking the narrow lanes of Thamel, a tourist ghetto along the lines of Khao San Road and Kuta, numbed at the sheer number of trekking guides and prayer flags on sale to the visitor and counting the hours to kick off.

The season had been halted following the devastating earthquake that had hit the country back in April and had only recently started up again. An uncertain political situation outside of the capital meant that when re-compiling a fixture list, officials sought to play the games in and around Kathmandu as much as possible.

I had arranged to meet with Nabin, the chairman of the local Arsenal Supporters Club in the garden of my hotel and of course I arrived late. We jumped on the back of his motorbike and headed off into the godawful traffic. Horns and klaxons provide a symphony that I ever associate with South Asia and Kathmandu was no exception. Everyone with something to press or tinkle was pressing and tinkling for all their worth in an effort to gain the slightest advantage on the road. Did it work? Did pressing the horn as long and as often as possible bring any advantage? Did it bollocks but  I guess it made people feel good.

We finally left the main road behind and touched the outskirts of Patan, a one time independent city state popular with tourists but for now at least just one more suburb of a nation's capital to be whized past on the road to the football.

We arrived at the All Nepal Football Association Complex, parked up and entered the ground. In fact it is not really meant to be a ground, more a training facility for the national teams but for now it is being used to host games in the National League. There was a small covered terrace behind one goal, just beneath the flightpath to the international airport while a small stand on one side held fans, media and other dignitaries as well as the players dressing rooms underneath.

Nabin tried to sweet talk us into the media area but the steward was having none of it. Maybe it was my shorts, maybe it was the fact I wasn't a journo or maybe his wife had left him, he had tooth ache and someone had let the air out of his tyres on his motorbike but he was not going to let us pass and that was the end of it. Sir, if ever you move to Singapore you could steward SLeague games there, no worries!

We finally took our seats in the VIP bit with no hassle and I sat on a plastic chair, the sort that usually gets thrown by drunken English football fans in European city centres, close to ANFA officials and the new national team coach Patrick Aussems looking resplendent on his sofa!

On the pitch Far Western were kind of hosting Manang Marshyangdi Club; I say hosting, there aren't that many stadiums in Nepal so the ANFA Complex is being used by a  few clubs and indeed after this particular game Nepal Police were due to play someone else on the same pitch.

There were a few hundred fans in the ground with most of them either in the stand or behind the goal in the covered terrace. The stadium, too grand a word really, is still being constructed and opposite the main stand there is an apartment block used by young players in the national age group sides while behind the other goal is the ANFA office. For the lads in the apartment block it must have been like having their own personal executive box though I fancy there was no a la carte menu for them. The area behind the main stand resembles a construction sight and as the game was in progress work was still going on with labourers moving soil about. The dressing rooms were spartan, none of the luxury you find at clubs like Arsenal. In fact they didn't seem to have any facilities at all and after the game the players were soon heading for home, many still in their playing kit!

At half time former Persija defender Rohit Chand came over for a chat. He's still waiting for his money! I have been following his career for a while now since someone pointed him out to me a few years back. Graham Robers, former coach of the Nepal national team, raved about him and was forever linking him with clubs in Europe while overlooking the small matter of work permits. Anyway, with the Indonesia Super League inactive Rohit was back in his native Nepal and preparing for the South Asian Football Federation Championships at the end of the year. Don't you want to play in the National League, I asked him. He smiled.

There were a few Africans playing for MMC and Far Western and Nabin said they would probably be earning about $500 a month. I often wonder how a player ends up in places like Nepal..I am sure they would have interesting stories to tell of their footballing careers but time was always going to be against me on this trip.

The game itself was ok. MMC won 6-0 and it could have been, should have been a lot more. It was almost like they felt sorry for their young opponents in the second half, resorting to long distance pot shots that troubled the ball boys more than the keeper. After the game the Far Western coach had a bit of a moan about the number of games his team had played recently and all the travel they had been doing. And no, his name was not Arsene Wenger!

At the end of the game the stadium slowly emptied. I had noticed a group of security officials on the terrace behind the goal. I hadn't noticed some of them were armed. I'm from England, I'm not used to seeing armed people walking round the streets or even the stadiums. Not all were armed, some but enough. I asked Nabin what kind of trouble they experienced at Nepali football but he seemed surprised at the question. I saw once more that steward whose devotion to duty had seen me blocked from entering the media area. As I walked behind the worthies from the ANFA I didn't turn to him and gloat. He was doing his job after all and anyway toothache ain't no fun for anyone. Now, had it been one of the officious little buggers at an SLeague game, then I may have enjoyed a smile at them...

I didn't stick around for the second game which I must admit is most unlike me but with this a football day I had promised myself an ale or two near the hotel. Venturing out on to the main road, Rohit negotiated a taxi for me and I headed back to Thamel for a beer or six at Tom and Jerry, sat cramped in a tiny Suzuki with the windows open allowing to to inhale that poisonous Katmandhu air.

After a few beers one night several moons ago I floated the idea of following a season in the National League. It would be great to spend a bit of time in Nepal and as we all know football takes you to places you wouldn't normally get to.  Will it happen? Who knows but tomorrow I'm off to climb a mountain and buy some smelly candles and a tshirt with a big eye on it and stuff.

If you are interested in knowing more about football in Nepal then check out www.goalnepal.com

Warriors missed a big opportunity of closing the gap on SLeague leaders DPMM when they were surprisingly held by Malaysian development side Harimau Muda to a 2-2 draw on Saturday. The draw keeps them in second place, three points behind the Brunei side but still Warriors boast the worst defence in the league having conceded 36 goals this season so far. Fortunately they also have the best strikeforce with 34 goals. Yep, still in negative territory!

I would love to have been a tube of ralgex in the Warriors dressing room at half time as they trailed 2-0 to the Malaysians after the first 45 but they came out for the second half in Melaka revitalised and two goals from Fazrul Nawaz spared their blushes.

Last time out Harimau Muda had been thumped 5-1 by Tampines Rovers so this was a remarkable turnaround by the young team in a short period of time and while the 10-0 disaster against UAE still rankles perhaps this result and the success of the national team in reaching the AFC U16 Championships next year in India may suggest the current gloom is not a permagloom...depending of course on the grizzlies in charge.

Talking Tampines, their efforts to claw themselves back into the title race hit yet another stonewall when they were defeated by Singapore's own developmental side the Young Lions in a game marred by two red cards at the end. Anumanthan Mohan Kumar  hit the only goal of the game on the 16th minute and for all the brickbats that followed their failure to reach the knock out stage of the SEA Games in July coach Jurgen Raab must have been delighted with the discipline his side showed against such an experienced side.

Both sides remain in the bottom half of the table with little hope of escape but results like these are so important for young players' confidence and self belief. They may well get tonked in their next game but they have at least shown what they are capable against top sides.

7 - Harimau Muda 18 6 2 10 21-32 20

9 - Young Lions 17 5 3 9 17-26 18

Arema v Bali United 2-1
Mitra Kukar v PSM Makassar 1-0
Persebaya United v Sriwijaya 1-0
Pusamania Borneo v Persib 3-2

Advantage home teams all around which is no surprise when you consider the hosts didn't lose any games of the group stages. Perhaps they should rename the competition Home Is Where The Points Are Cup. Given the narrow margins of victory you could have a real stab in the dark and suggest the losers last weekend could well come up trumps in the second leg. My tip...a Persib v Bali United final!

The second legs of these ties will be played next weekend.

AFC U16 Championships Qualifiers

Afghanistan v Syria 2-2
Kuwait v Afghanistan 1-0
Syria v Kuwait 0-0

Kuwait finished top of the group with four points and go through to the championships in India next year.

Federation Cup

Khitan v Kuwait 2-2
Kazma v Al Nasr 8-0
Burgan v Al Shabab 0-1
Al Sahel v Al Arabi 1-2
Al Salmiya v Al Fahaheel 2-6
Qadsia v Al Tadamun 6-0

I was at the Al Arabi game and was impressed by what I saw of Al Sahel. They were well organised and dangerous on the break and can count themselves unlucky to lose in the end, albeit through controversial circumstances.

In the last minute they had a player sent off. Al Arabi went down their end and scored. That was it. That simple.

Not sure how strong the Kuwait and Qadsia teams would have been. They both had AFC Cup quarter finals last week and later today play in the Super Cup.

The shock though was Al Fahaheel thrashing Al Salmiya 6-2. Didn't know they were capable of scoring so many goals!

It was all very last minute but the opportunity was there so I reached for it. Bahrain. The nation that thrashed Indonesia 10-0 in a World Cup Qualifier not too long ago. A tiny island in the gulf home to about a million or so people. And they had the FA Cup on going so I went so there.

Many moons back I saw Bahrain Under 16s compete in an Under 16 event in Jakarta and was impressed by what I saw. Tidy, crisp passers of the ball, good movement. not world beaters but easy on the eye.

And that pretty much sums up the FA Cup tie I saw at Al Ahli Stadium at the weekend played out in front of a crowd of dozens. Riffa ran out well deserved winners but Bahrain had their moments and all in all it was not a bad game with one good goal to savour, a Riffa striker controlling the ball with his chest, making space and volleying home from about 12 yards.

I will be back for more games in the future not least because there is beer available on the island and there is even a pub crawl to be had and that, as Ratcat once opined, ain't bad!

Johor Darul Tazim v Kedah 2-0 (Safee Sali, Chaturu) 18,710
Terengganu v Johor Darul Tazim II 0-0 13,500
LionsXII v Kedah 1-1 (Shahdan Sulaiman; Sandro Mendoca) 5,266
Sarawak v ATM 1-0 (Joseph Talang Tie) 2,130
Selangor v Kelantan 0-3 (Gilma Jose Da Silva 2, Iwuji Augustine) 13,260
Felda United v T Team 3-0 (Makeche Ndumba 2, Indra Putra Mahyuddin) 600
Pahang v PDRM 4-3 (Azamuddin 3, Dickson Nwakaeme; Dramae Traore, Ashfaq Ali, Jaime Braganca) 7,336
Penang v PKNS 0-3 (Nazrin Syamsulbhari, Gabriel Miguel Guerra, Nizam Abu Bakar) 5,055

You would think it was pretty simple. Persebaya come from Surabaya and boast massive support around the country. Back in 2011 they opted to enter the then rebel Premier League and their support went with them.

Thing is another entity, also confusingly called Persebaya, continued to play in the official league and fans stayed away in droves. Persebaya in the IPL, known as Persebaya 1927 took the fans with them and a local derby against Arema, the IPL one, not the ISL one (I hope you are keeping up) attracted 55,000 fans to the Bung Tomo Stadium.

While there were two leagues there continued to be two Persebayas. And when they leagues finally merged into one again in 2014 there were still two Persebayas; one that was a rebrand of Persikubar from East Kalimantan and one that lived on in the hearts and minds of the fanatical fans known as Bonek.

I went to one game at Bung Tomo when an expensively assembled Persebaya thrashed Perseru...the crowd was two or three thousand in that large arena. The players made more noise than the fans!

One reason the league has been cancelled in Indonesia and the association suspended is due in part to Persebaya. BOPI, bless their little cotton buds, said the league had to sort the ownership issues surrounding Persebaya. Difficult when the top bloke at the club was growing ever more influential in the corridors of footballing power.

The 2015 ISL season saw Persebaya continue irrespective of the strictures from on high until the league was halted. Now we have the President Cup and Persebaya United were drawn in the group hosted in Bandung. Reaching the quarter final stage where ties will be played home and away the rebranded Persebaya United seem to have decided to play their home games on the island of Bali. So much for Persebaya United.

And today ahead of the Independence Cup, also held in Surabaya, between PSMS and Persinga Persebaya will play a friendly against Persekap.

So there you have it. I think. Persebaya explained. Or not. Maybe.

Catching a game used to be so easy. You would pick up the paper in the morning, turn to the sports pages and hey presto there was a list of matches to choose from complete with kick off times. I thought the whole world was like that but nope, it ain't so simple. First in Indonesia and then Malaysia I learned printed or announced fixture lists aren't meant as any kind of guide for the casual fan. They are released because, well, um, someone has to do it and no consideration is given to accuracy. Some jobsworth thinks he has to release the fixtures, he does, job done. Not his problem if the list is inaccurate.

When you talk about big clubs in Singapore, to be fair you probably don't but anyway, Tampines Rovers, Warriors and Home United spring to mind. They have after all won 16 of the 19 SLeagues since the league started in 1996.

Chances are you won't mention Balestier Khalsa. In an unfancied league they are an unfancied club lacking a trophy cabinet until a couple of years back but now is the club emerging from the shadows to mount a serious bid for the SLeague title?

A quiet revolution has been taking place round Balestier over the last couple of years and it started under the tutelege of former APIA legend Darren Stewart. The one time Aussie international guided the club to the 2013 Singapore League Cup, their first ever silverware, defeating, nay thrashing, DPMM 4-0 in the final of the much maligned competition.

Stewart left at the end of the season and the club looked to one of their own with the appointment of Marko Kraljevic as coach. The man certainly knew about Asian football when he came in at the start of 2014 having played for Kelantan, Hong Kong Rangers, Balestier Central, Tampines Rovers and Jurong before moving into coaching and had been working with Woodlands Wellington's Prime League team when the call came to take over the hot seat.

In his first season at Tao Payoh the club did something it had never done before; it lifted the Singapore Cup after defeating Home United 3-1 while the goals of Goran Ljubojevic saw the club finish in a respectable 6th place without really threatening the top places.

Ljubojevic's successful spell saw him move on to Sriwijaya while Balestier had the novelty of an AFC Cup campaign to look forward to but a 2-1 win over East Bengal were the only points they managed to pick up in their six games, finishing bottom of the group.

But now they sit third in the SLeague just a few points off the leaders and looking to be in a strong position to mount an assault on the title.

1 - DPMM 17 9 5 3 28-16 32
2 - Albirex Niigata 18 9 4 5 19-11 31
3 - Balestier Khalsa 17 8 5 4 26-19 29
4 - Warriors 18 9 2 7 28-32 29

Tomorrow sees the President Cup action switch to Jakarta. Nope, not for any games, Persija fell out of the competition with barely a whimper but the draw will take place in the capital city which is nice.

Seven teams are already through to the next round, known as Besar 8 or Big 8;

Bali United Pusam *
PSM Makassar *
Arema *
Persib *
Pusamania
Sriwijaya
Mitra Kukar

* denotes hosts in the group stage and yep they all qualified top of their respective groups.

Today is the final action of the group stage with games being held at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Soreang, near Bandung. First up Persebaya United take on Persiba Balikpapan before Persib host Martapura in the evening kick off. A win would guarantee the Honeybears a ticket in the next round and to be fair even a draw should be enough. Can we see Martapura defeating the ISL champions later? It can happen of course...

Persiba v Persebaya United 1-4. Persebaya United reach the next stage of the competition.

Ties will be played on a home and away basis on 19/20 September and 26/27 September.

Draw:

After Malaysia's 10-0 humiliation last week against the UAE heads rolled. Out went the coach Dollah and in came Ong Kim Swee who has enjoyed much success with the Under 23s in recent years. And in response Malaysia put on a bit of a show. Scott Ollerenshaw, former St George legend who also played in Malaysia, was impressed by the home side's showing against Saudi Arabia, describing it as 'a very tactictally disciplined performance' under a new coach who hadn't had long to work with the squad but had responded to last week's debacle with a number of new faces.

Malaysia even took the lead through Safiq Rahim but were to only enjoy the sensation for a few moments before the visitors fought back and within minutes were 2-1 ahead. Towards the end of the game things turned nasty with a section of the home support setting off flares causing the game to be halted with two minutes on the clock.

Excellent stuff. On the pitch last week the players humiliated everyone, now off it the fans have done their bit.

I have said a few times how the Malaysian support has improved over recent years but all that work has sadly been pushed back by the actions of those involved in last night's scenes. They have organised boycotts of pointless friendlies against EPL tattooed pretty boys because they felt, and rightly so, they offered no benefit to the national team. The proof of their actions lie of course in the debris of recent heavy defeats against Oman, Palestine and the UAE.

It is a shame that on a night when the players at least made an effort to show what they could do they were unable to carry the supporters with them as many on the terraces were more fixated with the FAM and their incompetence. And for sure, in the eyes of many the FAM do stand accused of doing little to improve the local game while queuing up for selfie opportunities with those aforementioned visiting EPL tattooed pretty boys.

Of course the scenes, and the stenches, from last night will long linger and the FAM will face many searching questions over the next few days. Not to condone the actions of the few but surely given the tensions that have been raging over recent months in some football circles, brought to a head by last week's massacre, some kind of security presence would have been necessary last night? And I don't mean a security presence that allegedly searched visiting supporters and stripped them of lighter but allowed home fans to walk in with flares.

It's not as if this is the first time the national team's efforts on home soil have been hindered by the antics of a few of their followers. A friendly against the Philippines was also marred by flares while the AFF Cup semi final against Vietnam last year saw images of Vietnamese fans being attacked inside the stadium being broadcast around the world. There has also been a spike in incidents of crowd trouble at domestic games which has supposedly led to the FAM taking action...but what action is the question after last night?

On a night when Thailand came from 2-0 down to draw with Iraq 2-2 it was a reminded that the Thais remain by far the dominant power in South East Asia. They have been hoovering up titles for fun in recent months and if there was an ASEAN Song Contest they would probably win that as well. Meanwhile Indonesia, who of course aren't even allowed in the WCQs, and Malaysia with their own demons continue to plod along in their own little worlds where Cristiano Ronaldo is king, Anfield is heaven and football administration is a good job title that requires little in the way of competence.

Indonesian football tied up in one game played today in the President Cup in Makassar.

Persipasi Bekasi Raya, formerly known as Pelita Bandung Raya and Persipasi before they merged, formerly known as Pelita Jaya Karawang before they were taken over by Bandung Raya, formerly known as  Pelita Jaya West Java, formerly known as Pelita Jaya Purwakarta, formerly known as Pelita Krakatau Steel, formerly known as Pelita Solo, formerly known as Pelita Bakrie, formerly known as Pelita Mastrans defeated Gresik United formerly known as Persegres and Petrokimia 2-0.

In the same group are Pusamania Borneo. They were formed by supporters of Persisam Samarinda Putra who were unhappy with the club owners so they bought the licence of Perseba Super Bangkalan and relocated them to East Kalimantan. Which is funny because Perseba Super Bangkalan were previously involved with the people who were behind Deltras Sidoarjo who once upon a time were known as Gelora Dewata and used to play in Bali before crossing to Java and making their home near Surabaya.

Talking of Bali you remember how I mentioned Pusamania was sprung from the terraces of Persisam? Well the Persisam owners renamed themselves Putra Samarinda, or Pusam, but struggled for support in the city and once Pusamania earned themselves promotion Pusam decided to scout around for a new owner and guess what? They ended up in Bali known as Bali United Pusam.

The other team in the group are PSM Makassar and their history is kind of boring. They are the oldest football club in Indonesia and have been known as PSM for as long as anyone can remember even though they did spend a season or so playing their home games in Surabaya 'cos their stadium didn't meet ISL standards.

KUALA LUMPUR — “Makhluk halus” or paranormal beings may be to blame for Malaysia’s 10-0 drubbing by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday (Sept 2), Malay tabloid Kosmo reported today (Sept 6).

While pundits and fans alike have pointed to obvious weaknesses in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as the reason for the country’s stunning defeat, the daily cited an “Islamic” medical expert Shamsuri Shafie as not discounting the possibility that such paranormal beings were employed to distract the national players on field.

The players may have been disturbed by the entities because they forgot to recite prayers before playing, he was reported saying further.

“As Muslims we are encouraged to recite prayers before doing any activities including playing football. People then will usually recite prayers before playing so they will be blessed and protected from being disturbed by these paranormal entities,” Mr Shamsuri was quoted as saying.

He added that it is haram (forbidden) for Malay-Muslims to believe in black magic and such, but other cultures may practise it and applied them during the match.

“Sometimes there are beliefs that practise black magic to be strong on the field,” Mr Shamsuri reportedly said.

The UAE is also an Islamic country.

Ironically in the same report, Kosmo quoted a psychologist from the University of Malaya that the embarrassing defeat suffered by the national squad nicknamed Harimau Malaya was likely caused by mental weakness.

The Kosmo news report has been widely shared on social media sites Twitter and Facebook, drawing ridicule from fans who mostly pointed out that such mind-sets dominate the FAM and is the very cause of Malaysia’s dwindling football quality.

Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin requested FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah act on the shameful performance of the national team, starting with those “around him” in the association.

Mr Khairy was quoted by The Star Online as saying that he is almost certain that those in the FAM are not fit to be there.

National football coach Dollah Salleh has since resigned for the catastrophic performance and has been replaced by Under-23 Harimau Muda coach Ong Kim Swee.

Malaysia lost to UAE in Abu Dhabi in the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers, after the latter led by 7-0 in the half-time, setting a record for the country’s worst ever defeat in a competitive match

Date	Opponent	Venue	Time
8 October 2015 (Thursday)	Afghanistan	National Stadium, Singapore Sports Hub	8.00pm
13 October 2015 (Tuesday)	Cambodia	National Stadium, Singapore Sports Hub	8.00pm

Category	Single Match Ticket	**Early Bird (8 – 28 Sept)	*Concession	Bundle Package Afghanistan + Cambodia (up to 30% discount)
Cat 1	$38.00	$30.00	$15.00	$50.00 (savings of $26.00)
Cat 2	$28.00	$22.00	$10.00	$36.00 (savings of $20.00)

Early Bird ticket sales will commence at 12pm on Tuesday, 8 September until 28 September 2015. Standard ticket prices will apply thereafter.

COMMENT - prices seem pretty reasonable but of course you will still find people whining.