KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal should step aside to make way for a new leadership team following the national side’s worst-ever Hockey World Cup finish, senior sports analyst Sadek Mustaffa has said.
Speaking to Scoop, Sadek said Malaysia’s 16th-place finish was not merely the result of an underperforming squad, but a reflection of deeper structural weaknesses that have emerged across the sport, from grassroots development to the senior national team.
He called for a comprehensive overhaul of Malaysian hockey, covering the sport’s leadership, coaching system, player development pathway and tactical approach.
“The time has come for Subahan to step aside. The association needs a new leader and a new team to bring a fresh face, fresh thinking and a new direction to Malaysian hockey,” he said.
Sadek, a sports science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), also criticised the national team’s continued reliance on a small group of senior players, saying this had hindered efforts to build a new identity and competitive squad.
“The over-reliance on senior players, particularly four or five established names, has meant that the national team has failed to reflect the character, identity and competitiveness of a new-look side,” he said.
He questioned whether the considerable financial investment in Malaysian hockey, particularly from the National Sports Council (NSC) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), had produced results commensurate with the resources committed to the sport.
“The coaches, as well as the individuals within the national hockey association, have failed to translate the potential and performance of Malaysian hockey into that of a genuine world hockey power, despite the substantial funding that has been channelled by the NSC and TNB,” he said.
Sadek said Malaysia’s decline was also evident at the continental level, with the national team increasingly struggling against established Asian opponents.
“To be frank, the performance of the national hockey team has already fallen behind. Even in Asia, we are struggling to defeat teams such as China, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan, let alone India,” he said.
He added that merely qualifying for major tournaments should no longer be regarded as a sufficient measure of progress.
Instead, Sadek urged the authorities to develop a long-term strategy that would address weaknesses across the entire hockey ecosystem rather than relying on short-term measures following disappointing campaigns.
“If Malaysia genuinely wants to become a world hockey power, the country needs a long-term, detailed and systematic plan. This cannot be achieved through short-term measures or simply changing a few players or coaches after every disappointing tournament,” he said.
He said the rebuilding process must start at grassroots level, with a clearly structured pathway taking players from under-12 programmes through the junior national teams and ultimately into the senior squad.
Greater exposure to competitive hockey, both at home and overseas, would also be essential to the development of the next generation, he said.
“This revolutionary approach must be supported with adequate funding, regular exposure and meaningful participation in tournaments, both domestically and internationally,” he said.
Sadek also urged a rethink of player development, arguing that the demands of modern hockey extend well beyond technical fundamentals.
“Hockey today is no longer simply about hitting, trapping and dribbling. Modern hockey requires players to possess strong mental resilience, psychological strength, physical fitness and intelligence, both on and off the pitch,” he said.
Players, he added, must be equipped to read matches, study opponents and adjust their tactics according to different situations. He also called for several leaders to emerge within the national squad who could maintain morale and composure under pressure.
“We need several genuine leaders within the team who can create and maintain a positive spirit in different situations during competition,” he said.
The coaching setup should also be opened up to younger coaches with a stronger grasp of the modern game, Sadek said, arguing that fresh ideas would be crucial to developing a new identity for the national side.
“There is a great deal of work that needs to be done by the coaching staff, particularly by bringing in younger coaches who can offer a fresh perspective and develop a new face for Malaysian hockey,” he said.
However, he cautioned against viewing a change of head coach as a solution in itself.
Sadek said any reform must encompass the MHC leadership, player selection and development, coaching, tactical planning and grassroots programmes.
“There needs to be an overhaul at every level — the leadership of the association, the players, the coaching staff, tactical planning and development at grassroots level. If we only change the coach while leaving the rest of the structure untouched, we will continue to face the same problems,” he said.
Looking ahead, Sadek said Malaysian hockey needed a clearly defined long-term target, with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics providing an important benchmark for measuring whether the proposed reforms had succeeded.
“The quality of the team has not yet reached world-class standards. That weakness needs to be acknowledged and accepted honestly,” he said.
He stressed that difficult decisions had to be made now if Malaysia was to rebuild its standing in international hockey and prevent the same shortcomings from being passed on to another generation of players. – August 31, 2026