The worst kept secret in Malaysian hockey is finally out.
National coach Roelant Oltmans, as expected, axed the long-serving Saari brothers, Faizal and Fitri, along with Shukri Mutalib from his 34-man training squad for the Azlan Shah Cup on April 11-18.
Oltmans’ decision to leave the trio out does not come as a surprise as there have been internal issues within the team after their failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Apart from the trio, Nabil Fiqri Noor and Joel van Huizen were also not on the list. Nabil has opted to play in the French League while Joel wants to focus on his new job.
However, their absences will hardly affect the team as Oltmans’ focus is on rebuilding the national squad. He has included 11 new faces, mostly scouted from the recent Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
The trainees will report to the coach for centralised training on Monday. Oltmans will shortlist 18 players for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
Among the regulars retained are Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, Marhan Jalil, Razie Rahim and Shahril Saabah while Firhan Ashaari, who did not see action in the recent MHL, was also included in the provisional squad.
Stephen van Huizen, who served as Oltmans’ assistant last year, has not been offered a contract extension.
Amin Rahim and Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim have been appointed as the assistant coaches.
“Several players who were in the squad are not returning... they have their reasons,” said Oltmans in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
“We have discussed internally and out of respect, I am not going to reveal those reasons. It’s up to the players if they want to speak about it.”
However, Oltmans said it is not the end of the world for seniors like Faizal, Fitri and Shukri as the door is not completely shut on them.
Oltmans said: “There are 11 new players, who, I hope, will use this opportunity to impress the selectors.
“We will see whether they can cope with the physical demands of international hockey and also our style of play.
“We have several regulars like Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Marhan, who can guide these young players.
“Most of the players are below 24 years old.
“We need a long term plan in place to groom them for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and also for the next Olympics.
“The selection of the players included performances in all tournaments, not only the MHL. That’s why I included Firhan in my squad.”
Oltmans pointed out that except for the TNB Cup final between Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and Terengganu Hockey Team, the quality of matches in the MHL was not consistent.
“Players need to be consistent in every match.
“They should not play at the high end in one match and drop too far below in the next.
“I will try to help the trainees develop their game and play consistently when they are in camp.”