MHC boss demands hunger and heart from Tigers at Nations Cup
"Fans want to be associated with winners, and to achieve that, the national players need to play with spirit," said Subahan during a kit sponsorship ceremony in Bukit Jalil on Monday.
"The players must do well to build momentum, as qualifying for next year's World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are the main targets."
Subahan pointed to Pakistan as an example of a team that performs well in tournaments despite limited resources.
"This is the kind of spirit we want from our national players. We've given them everything, and now they need to show extraordinary hunger to outperform the other teams in the tournament," he said.
"If the national players want their welfare to be looked after, they need to perform at their best in the Nations Cup so that the government and sponsors will be more inclined to support them.
"The national team had solid preparations, playing friendly matches against Australia and going on a tour of South Korea, where they took on their national team in five matches."
A semi-final target has been set for world No. 13 Malaysia, who are the third-highest ranked team in the Nations Cup.
Malaysia are in Group B with world No. 12 New Zealand, Pakistan (No. 15) and Japan (No. 16).
Group A features world No. 9 France, South Africa (No. 11), South Korea (No. 14) and Wales (No. 18)
The champions will earn a place in the 2025-26 FIH Pro League.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Man City left to reflect on Club World Cup exit as tournament opens up
ORLANDO, (United States): Manchester City's exit from the Club World Cup at the hands of Al-Hilal on Monday finally brought down the curtain on a poor season for Pep Guardiola's side while confirming that Europe's powerhouses are not having things all their own way at FIFA's new competition. City had travelled to the United States off the back of a disappointing campaign both in England and in Europe. They had looked ominous at the Club World Cup, scoring 13 goals en route to being the only team to win all three group matches. There was promise shown by pre-tournament signings Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, but City's run abruptly ended with a 4-3 extra-time loss against the Saudi side in Orlando. But could going out now benefit them in the long run? "No one wanted to lose, we are very used to not having holidays unfortunately because the schedule is crazy," City's Bernardo Silva told UK media after what was their 61st match since last August. "But when we are in a competition we take it very seriously and we had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup and we wanted to win it." Guardiola said before facing Al-Hilal that he understood criticism of the Club World Cup by former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who called the competition "the worst idea ever implemented in football." "Maybe in November, December or January it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us," Guardiola contemplated before facing Al-Hilal. Now City go home almost two weeks before the final, and the time to rest will be precious. "We would have loved to have continued, you can only be here once every four years, we had a feeling that the team is doing well but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season," Guardiola said. There are more than six weeks until City play their opening Premier League game away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16. That should be ample time for the City players to rest and then ease themselves back in, including Rodri. The Spanish midfielder was being eased back into action after missing most of the last campaign with injury. He came off the bench against Al-Hilal but was substituted in extra time. "We have to see how Rodri is. He was good but later complained about his situation," Guardiola said. City still leave with significant prize money, likely to be around $40 million, for their participation at the Club World Cup. Their exit means one of the semi-finalists is guaranteed to come from outside Europe, as Al-Hilal now face Fluminense in the last four. Rio de Janeiro outfit Fluminense joined fellow Brazilians Palmeiras in making the quarters when the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners ousted Inter Milan in the last 16 on Monday. Fluminense have shown they should not be taken lightly, with 40-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea defender Thiago Silva marshalling their back line and Colombian winger Jhon Arias proving one of the players of the tournament. The narrative almost since the beginning at the tournament has been of Brazilian teams appearing most likely to stop what had always seemed an inevitable European triumph. But the last two years have shown that only a select band of mega-rich clubs in the Saudi Pro League can rival the spending of Europe's elite. Al-Hilal, from the capital Riyadh, are one of several Saudi teams who have been controlled by the Gulf country's oil-funded Public Investment Fund. They missed out on this year's domestic title to Al-Ittihad of Jeddah but are historically Saudi Arabia's most successful team and qualified for the Club World Cup thanks to their AFC Champions League win in 2021. Simone Inzaghi left Inter Milan to become their coach just before the tournament, taking over a squad full of players lured from leading European teams by the riches on offer. That makes Inzaghi's post-match comments about having to "climb Everest without oxygen to win the game" seem a little excessive.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh wins Honda Cup as top woman athlete
Jun 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, UNITED STATES; Gretchen Walsh swims in the womenÕs 100 meter butterfly at the Toyota National Championships swimming meet at Indiana University Natatorium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images/File Photo Virginia star swimmer Gretchen Walsh won the prestigious Honda Cup as the top Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. The other two finalists were UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers and Texas Tech softball player NiJaree Canady. Walsh joins basketball legend Dawn Staley (1991) as the only Cavaliers to win the honor. Walsh is the ninth swimmer to win the award, a list that includes two-time winner Tracy Caulkins (1982, 1984), Missy Franklin (2015) and Katie Ledecky (2017). "I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now," Walsh said after being named the winner. "Honestly, being nominated for this award last year was a big deal to me. To win it this year is obviously unreal. It's interesting this sport, you know, it's all-year-round, and it feels like it never stops. But to have these moments of knowing that all the hard work and the never-ending training is coming to fruition, and it's worth it. "It's really nice to have this recognition and to win this award among such an amazing group of athletes. And these women, all of us, different disciplines, different sports, but just excelling in all fields, it is really cool to be represented in a group like this." Walsh won NCAA individual titles in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly this season to raise her total to nine titles. She also holds nine NCAA records (four individual, five relays). The Cavaliers won four straight team titles during Walsh's career. Of course, Walsh is also known for her international profile and she won three gold medals and one silver at last month's U.S. national championships. She set the world record with a time of 54.60 seconds in the 100 butterfly at the TYR Pro Swim Series. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Walsh won two gold medals and two silvers. --Field Level Media
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Flintoff rules himself out of top England coaching job
ANDREW FLINTOFF said he has no desire to succeed Brendon McCullum as England head coach despite cutting his teeth with the second-string England Lions. The former England captain has returned to cricket coaching the Lions, as well as the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, after a car crash while filming for the BBC Top Gear television programme that left him with severe facial and rib injuries. His impact on the Lions has resulted in the charismatic former all rounder beinglinked with the top England coaching post, especially if McCullum opts against extending his contract with the national side that covers all three formats and runs up to and including the 2027 World Cup. Flintoff has rejected the suggestion, instead highlighting his admiration for McCullum by comparing his influence to that of Gareth Southgate with the England football team from 2016-24. Asked about the prospect of taking over from McCullum, 2005 Ashes hero Flintoff told the Stick to Cricket podcast: 'It's not something I'm looking at, Baz McCullum is incredible -- the best England coach. 'He's unbelievable and the culture he's created is incredible. It's similar to what Gareth Southgate did with the football lads; they are not just good players but great lads as well. 'I'm enjoying working under Keysy (England managing director of men's cricket Rob Key), it's no secret he's one of my best mates and he's helped me so much in other things. With Baz, we've got a great relationship and the utmost respect.' Flintoff initially joined then England white-ball head coach Matthew Mott's backroom team on an ad-hoc basis in September 2023, although he did not travel to that year's World Cup in India. He was, however, a member of England's staff at last year's T20 World Cup, where a semi-final exit led to Australian coach Mott's sacking. Flintoff last year took the Superchargers close to the knockout stages in his first season, after they had finished bottom of the standings the year before. He also oversaw a tour of Australia last winter with the Lions, who have recently drawn two unofficial Tests against India A. 'Honestly, at the moment, I feel as though I'm in the perfect place working with the Lions. I don't see this as a stepping stone to anything else, I'm invested in this and get a chance to work with these lads,' added the 47-year-old. 'I'm not looking at the franchise world or anything else, although I do the Northern Superchargers which came around last year and I enjoy working with (Superchargers captain) Harry Brook on that. 'I think 'I've got a job to do here' and it's not like 'what's next?'.'
