INTERVIEW WITH HARRY KANE OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Q1: How does it feel to be here in Malaysia for the first time?
A: It feels great and we are really looking forward to meeting our fans out there. It’s always amazing to see the number of followers we have in Asia and we’ve been inundated with letters and messages on social media too so it’ll be good to meet everyone.

Q2: You have been a revelation for Spurs this season, with 20 goals so far in the Premier League. Do you think you would be able to win the Golden Boot award this season?
A: It'll be tough now as Aguero has obviously scored a few recently, but I just want to finish the season strongly and score a couple of goals. 

 
Q3: You have made your way to the first team through the Spurs youth ranks and become a goal-machine for the club. What is the secret to your success?
A: I think it all comes down to hard work and self-belief. I get asked a lot for advice and those two things are the key ingredients for anyone hoping to make it.

Q4: How did you feel when you scored your debut goal for England against Lithuania especially just 79 seconds after coming on as a substitute?
A: It was the best feeling of my career so far. To score for your country at any level is a great honour but to do it at Wembley is something I always dreamed of and I’d love to experience that feeling again.

Q5: Do you have what it takes to emulate the success of Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham for England?
A: I hope so. Those players have done great things for their country and I’ve got aspirations to do the same. I’m not getting too carried away though and will keep working hard to get there.

Q6: Spurs have prided themselves in grooming young, home-grown talent that eventually excel in the Premier League. What is the formula for this success?
A: We’ve got a great academy, John McDermott does a great job and he’s proud of everyone that comes through. The high standards run right through and it is a great place to learn.

Q7: You just won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. How does it feel to achieve such great success in a short span of time?

A: It was a great honour to win an award like that voted by your peers, to do it in my first full year too was special and hopefully there are many more to come.

Q8: What is the highlight of your footballing career to date?
A: Making my debut for England and scoring was an incredible feeling and something I’m very proud of.

Q9: Who is the toughest opponent you’ve ever played against?
A: John Terry or Giorgio Chiellini were both really tough when I played against them this year. They are both world class players and ultimately though playing against players like that can only improve me as it is great experience.

INTERVIEW WITH RYAN MASON OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Q1: What inspired you to be a professional footballer?
A: Like a lot of young kids, I loved playing football in the garden with my friends. My Grandad used to say I played like Zola and he was a great player to watch in the Premier League. I liked Beckham and other English players too.

Q2: You had string of loan moves before making your debut for Spurs in 2008. How did playing for other clubs improve your overall performance?
A: I had to adapt to different systems and different styles and experiencing that as a player can only improve you.

Q3: What are the challenges of being one of the youngest players in the team?
A: I think to perform on a consistent basis and keep your place in the team.

Q4: Who is the toughest opponent you have ever played against?
A: Probably Michael Carrick. He was so clever with his movement and with England I was in awe with him and people don’t always appreciate just how good he is.

Q5: You earned your first call-up to the senior England team for a European qualifier against Lithuania in March. How did you feel about that?
A: It was a dream come true. I didn’t perhaps expect for it to come this early so it was a great feeling.

Q6: How is it like playing under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino?
A: Brilliant. He fills us with confidence and belief. He wants us to play a high intensity game and as a player, he is someone you really want to play for.

Q7: What can fans expect for the big game between Tottenham Hotspur & Malaysia XI?
A: Hopefully lots of goals. We want to put on a show and make it a great spectacle. I’ve not been here before so I’m excited to visit a new part of the world.

INTERVIEW WITH HUGO LLORIS OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Q1: You had a rough start to your career with Spurs. How do you feel about it now?
A: I’m still trying to improve to help the team win and achieve. I’ve learnt a lot about English football and the Premier League style and I feel very comfortable now with this culture and enjoy it. I don’t want to stand still though, I want to work and do more to be important for the team and to help the club move forwards.

Q2: What is it like playing under Mauricio Pochettino and how has he helped you improve your game?
A: He has helped everyone at the Club. He has a proper philosophy for football and knows where he wants to go and where he wants to take the club. I think we can have total confidence in him. It’s difficult to build success in one year but we know where we want to be and the next step is to get there.

Q3: Your top three saves?
A: I don't really like to pick out individual saves. Sometimes people get carried away with saves. Sometimes they are easy, sometimes hard but it’s more about positioning, decision making, and the other components of being a goalkeeper.

Q4: Who’s the toughest striker you played against in the Premier League this season?
A: There are a lot of great players but if I had to choose it would be Sergio Aguero. He’s fantastic, so quick with the ball and difficult to read.

Q5: Spurs will take on the Malaysia team on May 27th. What are you looking forward to the most?
A: We are really looking forward to meeting the fans. Trips like this make us realise how important the Club is for fans in Asia and it is also a good chance to get away as a squad before we go our separate ways in the summer.

Q6: Your message to all the Spurs fan in Malaysia.
A: We look forward to meeting you! We will be ready to sign a lot of autographs and have photos and hopefully we can entertain you too with some good football on the pitch.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC AIA CUP KUALA LUMPUR 2015 - OPEN TRAINING

Spurs fans in Malaysia will get the opportunity to see the team first on our Asia Tour later this month.

We complete our Premier League campaign at Everton on Sunday, May 24, before jetting out to Malaysia and Australia.

We take on a Malaysia XI for the AIA Cup at the Shah Alam Stadium, Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, May 27 (8.45pm local, 1.45pm UK), before facing Sydney FC at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday, May 30 (8.00pm local time, 11.00am Sunday, May 30 UK).

The squad’s first outing in Malaysia will be an open training session at Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor at 6.30pm local time on Tuesday, May 26.

This session is FREE to fans with a match ticket – so come and watch the lads prepare for the AIA Cup!

Koshy, Dr. Shamala voted as MHC Deputy Presidents

Former Kuala Lumpur HA president, George Koshy, defeated Dato’ Nur Azmi Ahmad for one of two deputy president post in the 8th Malaysian Hockey Confederation Congress in Kuala Lumpur today.

While the only confirmed change before the start of the election process was the unopposed nomination of Dato’ Subahan Kamal as president, taking over from Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the 29 delegates were clearly embroiled in an intense battle for the deputy presidency posts. Tengku Abdullah, however, was elected MHC Honorary President by delegates.

Koshy as he is affectionately known among the hockey fraternity and owner of the highly successful Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club garnered 16 votes against 13 by Dato’ Nur Azmi Ahmad.

The women side for the deputy presidency turned into a two-horse race between Prof. Dr. Shamala Subramanian and K. Maheswari. However, Prof. Dr. Shamala received 17 votes while Maheswari got 12 from the 29 delegates who attended today’s elections.

There were six nominees for the men’s vice-president posts and three in the women’s division. Two women must be voted in with five men as vice-presidents, or four, if the third women nominated gets a higher vote than the fifth man at the completion of the voting process.

The five men nominated are Datuk Wan Ahmad Nizam bin Wan Abd. Hamid (28 votes), Penang HA President Dato’ Ow Soon Kooi (28 votes), Satish Kumar G. Sivaguru (25 votes), Dato’ Radhakrishnan Nair (24 votes) while Johor HA president, Majid Manjit Abdullah (24 votes), retained his post for another term.

The two women elected as vice-presidents are Pn. Nik Zarah bte Nik Abdul Kadir (27 votes) and Pn. Nagula Sivasothy (19 votes). In a press conference after the Congress, Tengku Abdullah said he will continue to support MHC in sourcing for funds and also solve the debts incurred by the national body.

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate the new office bearers while also thanking those who have served us well in the last few years. It has been a learning process for me too in MHC and I am confident Dato’ Subahan have his plans worked out for MHC.

“As for the RM2.5 million debts, MHC is compelled to spend on many development and training programmes including competitions. You cannot run away from this. Sometimes we can only wish that those who have pledged with sponsorship deals come forward and help us.”

Another factor in the high-rise in expenditure, added Tengku Abdullah, is that MHC has also to look into the development and training of the women’s national team and also competitions.

MHC 2015/2018 Office Bearers:

President: Dato’ Seri Subahan Kamal
Deputy President: Mr. George Koshy and Prof. Dr. Shamala Subramaniam
Vice-Presidents: Datuk Wan Ahmad Nizam bin Wan Abd. Hamid, Dato’ Ow Soon Kooi, Dato’ Radhakrishnan Nair, Mr. Majid Manjit Abdullah, Mr. Satish Kumar, G. Sivaguru, Pn. Nik Zarah bt Nik Abdul Kadir and Pn. Nagula Sivasothy.

FAM, FMLLP, MP & SILVA CONDUCTS FIRST EVER WORKSHOP

Malaysia’s domestic football league took another major step forward with the first ever Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership workshop, organised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and its global media and commercial advisor, MP & Silva.

The workshop was held to keep the FMLLP stakeholders apprised of the latest and planned developments for the 2016 season, and was attended by the State Football Associations and respective football clubs.

Amongst the updates shared was role of the FMLLP in relation to the clubs, as well as proposed broadcast, production and commercial strategies for the 2016 season. The framework for the financial disbursement to the clubs was also shared.

MP & Silva is also exploring additional programming to enhance the coverage of all League and Cup action, including preview and review shows, as well as making content available for digital platforms.

“Since the launch and announcement to privatize the football league, our team has been working closely with our partners to develop many exciting plans for the next season, developing media distribution, commercial strategies in addition to broadcast initiativesfor the next season,” said Beatrice Lee, MP & Silva’s Managing Director, Asia Pacific.

“Our goal is to contribute to the Football Malaysia LLP and maximize the M-League’s commercial potential, strengthening its media rights distribution, sponsorship and production, and ultimately servicing local football fans."

Dato’ HamidinHjMohd Amin, General Secretary of FAM, added: “ MP& Silva's strong credentials augur well for our local league., It is important also to maximise our commercial viability through sponsorship packages with the promise of increased media inventory with our proposed broadcast plans for next year. With this, we look forward to our league being more accessible to our fans via major broadcast platforms and media in Malaysia. Our ultimate goal is of course is to maximise the commercial potential of the M-League and its broadcast reach.”

The Football Malaysia LLP was formed in January 2015 as a long term collaboration to grow the commercial value of Malaysian Football. Its stakeholders include the FAM, as the Managing Partner, MP & Silva as FAM's global media and commercial advisor, and the respective football clubs as partners. The newly formed partnership will oversee five entities in Malaysian football, which include Malaysia Super League, the Malaysia Premier League, the FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the Charity Shield.

About FAM

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) (Malay: PersatuanBolasepak Malaysia) is the governing body for football in Malaysia, responsible for organising the Malaysian national football team and the major football, futsal and beach soccer tournaments within the country.

About FMLLP

Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) was created in the course of privatisation of the Malaysian football league system.  This structure was created to best suit the purposes of how the league is to be managed in the future, allowing the clean entry and exit of partners (teams) and also special partners (advisor). Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is the general partner of the LLP, which means that all other ordinary partners (teams) or special partners (advisor) are partners with FAM in Football Malaysia LLP. FMLLP therefore owns, and operates 5 properties in Malaysian football namely, the Malaysia Super League, The Malaysia Premier League, the FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the Charity Shield. 

About MP & Silva:

 MP & Silva is a leading international media company that owns, manages and distributes television and media rights to some of the most prestigious sports events around the world. With an annual turnover in excess of USD 720 million, MP & Silva’s portfolio includes the FIFA World Cup 2018 & 2022, UEFA EURO 2016,Italian Serie A, English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, the FA Cup, Copa America 2015, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana& Copa do Brazil, Brazilian national league (Brasileirão), Arsenal Football Club, the AC Milan Channel, French Open at Roland Garros, eight ATP World Tour tennis tournaments, EHF Handball Champions League, the Formula One, World Baseball Classic, the Premier 12 World Baseball Championships, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Spanish Basketball League (LigaEndesa).

In addition to offering media production and sponsorship consultancy, MP & Silva are also official media advisors to the Olympic Council of Asia, the FIA Formula E, the Association of National Olympic Committees, the Belgian Pro League and Polish Professional Football League, and are the International Development Partners to the Scottish Professional Football League. Headquartered in London and Singapore, MP & Silva operates worldwide through regional offices in Beijing, Budapest, Dubai, Dublin, Hanoi, Jakarta, Luxembourg, Madrid, Miami, Monaco, Munich, New York, Paris, Taipei, Tokyo and Warsaw.