KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) claims that the appointment of I. Vikneswaran and Hairi Abdul Rahman are essential for the national junior hockey team’s growth in the years to come.
The former internationals were brought in by the governing body to assist national senior head coach Sarjit Singh in preparing the junior team for the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru in October and the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in China in December.
Sarjit is the first Malaysian hockey coach to handle both senior and junior teams.
MHC’s main target for the junior team is to qualify for next year’s Junior World Cup through JAC.
Hairi, a former national goalkeeper, has played a total of 47 games for the Speedy Tigers since making his debut in the 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Vikneswaran was a former international who represented the country in the 1993 Junior World Cup in Spain.
The 51-year-old is also the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association president and was the national junior team manager at the Junior World Cups in 2021 and 2023.
Selangor Hockey Association president Ganesh Shanmugam will be the new team manager of the national junior squad.
Speaking to Scoop from Vancouver, MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that the appointments were made based on merit and the experience that both Vikneswaran and Hairi possess, which could be transferable to the younger generation.
“Both Vicky (Vikneswaran) and Hairi have so much experience that we believe they are the right fit to mould the team to follow the same DNA as the senior team under the guidance of Sarjit.
“Vicky has experience in winning the Razak Cup with Kuala Lumpur, while Hairi is an experienced former national goalkeeper who learned a lot from the legendary S. Kumar.
“Hence, they were brought in on merit, and we need their experience in our young players’ development.
“But at the end of the day, Sarjit is the one who will monitor and follow the juniors.
“Just because Vicky is overseeing the juniors for now, that doesn’t mean he’s the head coach. It’s up to Sarjit to decide who will take over the juniors for tournaments if he happens to be busy.
“Both Vicky and Hairi are definitely going to play a big role in the Junior World Cup qualifiers scheduled to take place in Bangladesh, and all the other tournaments this year.
“Hence, we at MHC will definitely keep giving the team all the necessary support to succeed,” said Subahan when contacted.
In Sarjit’s absence to be with the senior national team, Vikneswaran and Hairi will scout for players to join the national junior squad during the Malaysian Junior Hockey League from May 24 to June 29 and the Malaysia Games in Sarawak from August 17 to 24.
The previous junior team was disbanded following its debacle in the Men’s Junior World Cup last year, where they finished 12th under the guidance of former head coach Amin Rahim. – May 25, 2024