Sultan of Johor Cup testing ground for junior team: Subahan

KUALA LUMPUR – The upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup will be a testing ground for the national junior hockey team as many on the roster have yet to play an international match. 

Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the prestigious under-21 tournament in Johor Baru would be an uphill battle as the players lack experience on the international stage. 

“Only four players in the team have played on the international level, added with the fact that they only had three weeks to train together, the Sultan of Johor Cup would not be an easy challenge.

“The team will be led by coach Amin Rahim,” Subahan said today at a press conference announcing the 18 players selected for the tournament.

Subahan said with Amin being the assistant coach for the senior national team, he can implement the style of playing from head coach Arul Selvaraj into the junior squad. 

“The DNA for both the senior and junior teams must be related. This is also a scouting opportunity to identify players that we can promote to the senior team. 

“Amin also made history recently when he led the national indoor team to win the Men’s Indoor Hockey Asia Cup in Bangkok, so we think it is time we gave him the responsibility for Sultan of Johor Cup,” he said. 

The national men’s indoor hockey team took down defending champions Iran 3-2 in a shoot-out to win the Men’s Indoor Hockey Asia Cup for the first time. 

Subahan said it would not be an easy task as the tournament taking place at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium will also see hockey powerhouses Australia, Great Britain, India, Japan, and South Africa compete for the title. 

“These countries don’t just have a strong senior team, but their junior squad are just as equal. 

“We are sending the best that we currently have because we need to take care of the Sultan of Johor Cup’s prestige as we are indirectly the hosts,” he added. 

However, Subahan noted that this would a transition period for the team as this is the first time they are competing internationally. 

“I believe with Amin and the other coaches’ experience; the team should play fairly well. Most importantly I want the players to gain experience playing against international opponents.

“The ultimate goal is we must be semi-finalists for the 2023 Hockey Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur next year,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Amin said that although the expectations for the tournament next week are high, he takes it as a challenge for the team to bring back the best result possible. 

“With the experience that I have coaching the indoor team, I will share it with the junior players so they can work towards the Junior World Cup next year,” he said. 

The junior team will play Australia tomorrow in a friendly match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, followed by another friendly with Great Britain in Johor on Wednesday, October 19. 

“Playing against Australia will be their first time playing on the international scene, so it is a good benchmark for me to see where the level is and what more can be done to improve the squad,” Amin added. 

The team will begin their Sultan of Johor Cup campaign against India on October 22, followed by Australia, South Africa, Great Britain, and play the final match on October 28 against Japan. 

Malaysia have only won the Sultan of Johor Cup once in 2011 during its inaugural season. 

Currently, Great Britain is the most successful team having won the tournament three times (2015, 2018, 2019). – The Vibes, October 17, 2022