Van Huizen Cautious Of Singapore Threat In Men's Hockey

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Going by the book and Malaysia’s status as a regional powerhouse in men’s hockey and defending champion, would mean a sure gold in the 29th Kuala Lumpur SEA Games from Aug 19-30 but national head coach Stephen van Huizen prefers to be cautious. Stephen said though Malaysia is ranked world number 14, well above teams participating in the SEA Games, the coach urged the players to be cautious and not be complacent because every team would be out for Malaysia’s scalp. “Our main contender will be Singapore because they too are preparing well for the SEA Games,” he told reporters at the ‘Kita Juara’ programme held at the Renaissance Hotel, here Monday. In the 2015 SEA Games, host Singapore managed to hold Malaysia to a draw in the final although Malaysia eventually won 4-3 after a penalty shootout. He added that the SEA Games would also be Malaysia’s training ground for players to face bigger tournaments in Asia and the World Cup next year. “Next year is going to be a very challenging year because we will be involved in a number of high-level international tournaments and also the World Cup,” he said. SEA Games hockey competition takes place at the National Hockey Stadium, KL Sports City in Bukit Jalil from Aug 21-29. -- BERNAMA