MHC boss demands hunger and heart from Tigers at Nations Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: The Speedy Tigers must play without fear and perform at their peak to make an impact at the Nations Cup, which begins on June 15 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, said Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal.
"Fans want to be associated with winners, and to achieve that, the national players need to play with spirit," said Subahan during a kit sponsorship ceremony in Bukit Jalil on Monday.
"The players must do well to build momentum, as qualifying for next year's World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are the main targets."
Subahan pointed to Pakistan as an example of a team that performs well in tournaments despite limited resources.
"This is the kind of spirit we want from our national players. We've given them everything, and now they need to show extraordinary hunger to outperform the other teams in the tournament," he said.
"If the national players want their welfare to be looked after, they need to perform at their best in the Nations Cup so that the government and sponsors will be more inclined to support them.
"The national team had solid preparations, playing friendly matches against Australia and going on a tour of South Korea, where they took on their national team in five matches."
A semi-final target has been set for world No. 13 Malaysia, who are the third-highest ranked team in the Nations Cup.
Malaysia are in Group B with world No. 12 New Zealand, Pakistan (No. 15) and Japan (No. 16).
Group A features world No. 9 France, South Africa (No. 11), South Korea (No. 14) and Wales (No. 18)
The champions will earn a place in the 2025-26 FIH Pro League.
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