NAFAS AKHIR / THE LAST BREATH – MALAYSIAN HOCKEY "We reach a critical juncture this year: we must either bounce back or face irreparable decline" BY MANINDERJIT SINGH (MIKE)
Warm
greetings to everyone & SELAMAT HARI MALAYSIA.
Many
have asked about new articles regarding Malaysian hockey. I have been busy with
my podcast, Planet Sukan, and various projects for the FIH and just ended 2026 FIH World Cup event.
We
have been in decline since 2015 and have yet to recover following the 2018
Asian Games. This year will determine whether we recover or fall further toward
an irreparable state on the world hockey stage.
We
have now dropped to our lowest world ranking of 15th. In world hockey, there
are only 20 elite teams, despite the FIH ranking system including over 90
nations. Being ranked 15th out of these 20 is the true measure of our standing;
beyond this top tier, the gap in team standards is significant due to a lack of
tournament participation.
In 2026, there are SEVEN (7) key tournaments for Senior & Juniors:
1.
FIH Nations Cup: June, Cape Town – TARGET FINAL BUT FINISHED 5TH OUT
OF 8 TEAAM
2.
FIH Men’s World Cup: August, Belgium/Netherlands – TARGET TOP 8 BUT FINISHED
WOODEN SPOON WORSTEVER POSITION IN WORLD CUP HISTORY LAST 16
3.
Asian Games: September, Nagoya, Japan
4.
Asian Champions Trophy: October, Punjab, India – 27Oct to 5th November
– TEAMS – IND PAK KOR JAPAN MALAYSIA CHINA
5.
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: November, Ipoh, Perak – 20-28 NOVEMBER – TEAMS MALAYSIA
AUSTRALIA S AFRICA SCOTLAND CANADA USA
6.
Junior Asia Cup 2026 – target SF and top 6 qualify to JWC27 an easy task due to
24 teams in JWC27 achieved but no podium finished or no medal as previous few
editions – Best finished 1992 Silver, 2000 – Bronze and Champ in 2012.
7.
Sultan of Johor Cup 2026 – this edition 5 nation’s event 17-24th
October Taman Daya Hockey Stadium – Teams Malaysia Japan Pakistan China Canada
As
for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup & Sultan Johor Cup Malaysian senior and junior
will for sure win a medal and podium finish because the teams invited are all
below ranked teams than Malaysia as the dates clashes with FIH Pro League
Season 26/26 and India plays test series with NZ.
As
for SASC26 – based on rank Malaysia is 2nd best ranked team after
Australia and as for SOJC26 – Malaysian Juniors are the best ranked team at 11th
placed – with Pak (13), Japan (15), Canada (16) & China (26).
On
the women front – in the recent JAC2026 – we lost to Bangladesh and failed to
qualify to women JWC2027 and with newly appointed Coach CR Kumar has guaranteed
us that Malaysian Women will break the top 4 bracket in the 2026 Asian Games –
it means we will beat KOR and Taipei, Kazak & Bangladesh as China is
unbeatable as won Silver medal in last Paris Olympics.
When
we fail, we change the coaching staff; however, the core problem lies within
the ecosystem and the pathway for developing international players. Many facets
require a major overhaul, as the current system produces national-level players
rather than international-calibre athletes.
Returning
to the topic: The Last Breath. The new coach lacks a strong track record, having
achieved no major milestones as a player, such as competing in the Olympics or
World Cups. While several world-class coaches have expressed reservations
regarding his profile, I will not disclose those details here. He has set targets to reach the finals of the FIH
Nations Cup and the 2026 Asian Games with finishing top 8 in recent WC26.
The
2026 Asian Games will follow the FIH World Cup with only a 15-day gap, creating
a tight schedule. India and Pakistan are expected to be the top contenders,
given their participation in the last Pro League and finishing higher than
Malaysia in recent WC26.
Japan
will compete as hosts, while Korea seeks redemption after failing to qualify
for the 2026 FIH World Cup.
**Rationale for the title: THE LAST BREATH**
Between
June and November, we face five key tournaments comprising approximately 45–50
official matches. World rankings are calculated using the formula: RWI (Result
× Weightage × Importance).
The
importance levels for these tournaments are as follows:
*
FIH World Cup: 10
*
Asian Games: 6
*
Nation Cup: 3
*
Asian Champions Trophy: 3
*
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: 2
Furthermore,
our squad is currently recognized as the oldest team with the most
international caps in world hockey. Most players are aged 33 and above.
Due to a failure to develop junior talent, the last two Malaysian Junior World Cup teams have performed poorly, and finishing 4th in the recent Junior Asia Cup 2026 and similar to the last 3 Junior Asia Cup cycles without reaching the podium. In the Junior World Cup, the team placed 12th of 16 in Kuala Lumpur 2023 JWC and 13th of 24 in JWC Tamil Nadu 2025. It is obvious with the inclusion of 3 Junior players such as Azimudin, Faris and Andy - struggling to cope at International stage and now they included Che Nur another junior player in the coming Asian Games.
Conclusion
With an aging national team and a lack of successful junior development since 2015, it is questionable whether the squad can sustain 50 matches over six months while maintaining consistent results. There is significant concern regarding whether veteran players—such as Hafizudin, Marhan, Faiz, Fitri, and Faisal—can endure this schedule, given the lack of depth in the current international hockey bench.
Many will suffer injuries and burnout. Can these key players be
sustained through the LA28 Olympic cycle, or will their potential retirement
create a significant vacuum that has been building since 2015?
We
lack solutions, having mismanaged the last three Junior World Cup cycles.
Regarding the 2027 JWC, there is no proper periodization plan or quality
international match schedule; Liaoning tours & India Tours are
insufficient.
Furthermore, it is unclear how the second round of the MHL will take place, as all national senior and junior players are committed to busy international schedules until November.
Our current calendar is poorly structured and managed on an ad-hoc
basis. Leading teams utilize a four-year cycle aligned with the Olympics,
incorporating domestic and international events for U18, U21, Razak Cup, Sukma and senior and junior squads.
Regarding LA28, qualification remains
challenging. With the United States occupying one slot, the remaining 11 are
divided between five continental champions; 2 for Pro Leagues season (Belgium
taken one) and four teams from the February 2028 FIH Olympic Qualifiers. Given
the calibre of competition in these eight-team events, securing a top-wo finish
is difficult.
For full details about the Road to LA28, click the below link:
https://stickwithmike.blogspot.com/2026/09/malaysian-mens-hockey-team-road-to-la28.html
Furthermore, surpassing India in the 2026 Asian Games is a significant hurdle; success requires first overcoming Japan, Korea, China, and Pakistan. India has 70 players who have secured consecutive Olympic bronze medals and a bronze in the recent Junior World Cup.
I will write about Malaysian Men’s Chances in the upcoming Asian Games 2026 – commencing on Friday, 18th September 2026.
I
will provide updates on these events and periodically share predictions and
analyses regarding the issues affecting our performance.
I
wish the Malaysian senior and junior teams the very best as we reach a critical
juncture this year: we must either bounce back or face irreparable decline.
By early October , following the Asian Games, we
will determine whether a restructuring is necessary to salvage the sport or if
the current office bearers should step down and forgo re-election in 2027,
given our repeated failures over the past decade.
Best regards. Thank you for reading and following
my articles and comments. It is nothing personal; I simply want Malaysian
hockey to return to its rightful place, where we deserve to be in the Olympics
again and consistently achieving favorable results in world hockey.
MANINDERJIT
SINGH (MIKE)
FORMER
OLYMPIAN & WORLD CUPPER & ASIAN ALL STAR
FORMER
SEC GEN OF MHC/MHF & FIH THINK TANK
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