Update on Akmal

Well, the brilliant minds at FAM have done it again. Because of their indecisions, leniency, poor planning and overall generally incompetency, Malaysia has lost Akmal Rizal, one of our best strikers in the country, to injury. He sustained this during a collision with the Kedah goalkeeper in Selangor's second-leg FA Cup match. I wonder if we are the only footballing nation in the world that would lose our top player, because our nation's football governing body decides to release the player, who was in centralised training, to his club barely 2 weeks before the biggest competition in the continent!

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Oh wait, allow me to rephrase that, not stupid...but NOT clever.



*sigh*

Of course, this is football. Akmal could've been injured during training. He could've been injured walking up the stairs to his room. Only God knows. Of course, there was no way that FAM could have anticipated this. But this was preventable. It was a risky feat. It could've been avoided. Who's bigger, club or country? FAM or State FAs? Even if the State FAs complaint, why can't FAM draw the line? Why is FAM so worried to be seen as 'the good guy' and appeasing everyone except the fans? As usual, will FAM admit fault? I doubt it very much. (and I'll tell you why in another post)

Anyway, here's the update on Akmal. We at Borakbola hope and pray that his injury is not too serious and that after this period of rest he will be able to rejoin the national team. We need you Akmal to tear holes in the oppositions' nets man!

Akmal blow for Malaysia
THE National team suffered a massive blow to their Asian Cup hopes when striker Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli suffered a severe injury while playing for Selangor in their FA Cup semi-final second leg match against Kedah at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.

The match ended 1-1 on the night for Kedah to advance to Saturday’s final with Perlis on a 3-1 aggregate. Perlis, who beat Johor Pasir Gudang 1-0 on Saturday for a 2-2 aggregate, advance on the away goals rule.

Akmal, who suffered the injury in a clash with Kedah keeper Mohd Helmi Eliza Elias, was taken to the Kelana Jaya Medical Centre by FA of Selangor officials after the match.

When met at the dressing room, Akmal, whose leg was strapped with ice while waiting for the ambulance, said: "It’s very painful, it was a very hard knock. The (Kedah) keeper raised his leg despite catching the ball.

"I think it (the injury) will take at least four to five days to heal." Akmal is scheduled to undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan today.

"I hope that with treatment I will be able to continue to play for the national team (in the Asian Cup)," added Akmal.

But for sure, the Selangor striker will have to miss the third warm up match against Jamaica at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Thursday.

"I am truly sad and disappointed that Akmal has injured himself. We will wait for the results of the scan to see how bad it is," said Selangor coach Dollah Salleh.

Kedah coach Azraai Khor said that this is a risk a player and the national coach takes when it comes to football.

"I can’t say much. All I can say that it’s football and that’s the risk we take.

"Kedah had not requested for (national) players to be released. It was FAM’s decision," said Azraai.

FAM vice-president, Datuk Raja Ahmad Raja Zainuddin, had granted permission for some of the National players who are in training for the Asian Cup, to be released to play for their respective States in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.

National coach Norizan Bakar found it hard to hide his disappointment.

"It’s always a big risk to allow national players to play for their clubs or States when they are on national assignment.

"Now we to have to wait and see how Akmal responds to treatment," said Norizan yesterday.

This disappointing episode, one hopes, will be a lesson to the FAM and its officials not to release national players for any other assignment when preparing to represent the country in a major tournament — in this case the Asian Cup.