KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal has dismissed claims that he bypassed the coaching committee in the decision not to renew former national men’s coach Sarjit Singh’s contract.
The decision, which has reportedly stirred some disagreement within the MHC coaching ranks, came after Sarjit successfully guided the Speedy Tigers to World Cup qualification, achieving his key performance indicator (KPI) despite Malaysia finishing fourth in the recent tournament in Egypt.
Malaysia qualified thanks to a higher ranking than the fourth-placed team in a separate qualifying event.
The 2027 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14 to 30 next year.
Despite securing a qualification, Malaysia dropped two places in the FIH world rankings, slipping from 13th to 15th following the Egyptian campaign.
MHC has since appointed Brendon Carolan as the new national men’s coach.
Speaking at a press conference at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium today, Subahan clarified that the decision to axe Sarjit was made collectively by the MHC executive board.
“It was unanimously decided not to extend Sarjit’s contract. The executive board is the highest governing body of the MHC, and its decisions are final,” he briefly told reporters.
“Ninety per cent of our executive board members are state presidents, deputy presidents, and secretaries. Our priority is the progress of the national team and achieving strong results in tournaments.”
Previously, Sarjit described his dismissal as unfair and “being made a scapegoat”.
He told Scoop that the non‑renewal came without warning or review and that he was not even given the chance to present his post‑tournament report before being informed his contract would not be extended. – April 3, 2026