KUALA LUMPUR: The national men’s hockey squad received a fresh breath of air in preparation for several important tournaments after the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) announced the appointment of Sarjit Singh as the new head coach, effective today.
Sarjit, who previously held the same position from 2006 to 2008, has signed a two-year contract with MHC to replace the former head coach, A. Arul Selvaraj, whose contract expired in January.
MHC president, Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said Sarjit’s selection was made unanimously during the Executive Committee meeting of MHC.
“He has previously been the national team coach for a period and has also served as a team coach besides having extensive experience.
“MHC has high hopes on this appointment and will provide unwavering support to him to ensure that the Speedy Tigers squad achieve greater success,“ he said after the Executive Committee meeting at the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil, here today.
Subahan, however, stated that Sarjit’s appointment currently does not come with any specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), giving the coach the freedom to ‘shape’ the national squad.
The Speedy Tigers have three tournaments scheduled this year, namely the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh (May 4-11), the Nations Cup in Gniezno, Poland (May 31-June 9), and the Asian Champions Trophy in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China (Sept 8-17).
Previously, MHC advertised a vacancy notice for the position of new head coach for the men’s team through their official website on Feb 6 after Arul Selvaraj’s contract ended following the Speedy Tigers’ failure to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In other developments, Subahan announced during the meeting that the Honorary Secretary of the Penang Hockey Association, V. Jayanandhan, would be the acting Chief Executive Officer of MHC.
He replaces S. Nishel Kumar, who will return to the National Sports Institute (ISN) after a year-long stint with the sports governing body in an effort to organise the 2023 Junior World Cup.
“However, MHC has appointed Nishel as a member of the MHC Executive Board,“ Subahan said. - Bernama
