Mereka berpendapat, Malaysia sebagai gergasi Asia Tenggara tidak sepatutnya membelasah pendatang baru sebegitu rupa kerana ia akan merencatkan pembangunan hoki rantau ini.
Hasilnya, Kemboja membubarkan skuad lelaki dan wanita kerana berasakan mereka tidak mempunyai masa depan dalam acara itu.
Malaysia pula terus mencabar dunia namun gagal layak ke Sukan Olimpik Rio 2016.
Bagaimanapun, seperti iklan sejenis minuman tenaga dikawasan perumahan saya: "Rekod bukan untuk dipegang, ia untuk dipecahkan".
Saya percaya rekod ini pasti akan dipecahkan.
Ramalan itu jadi realiti apabila skuad lelaki New Zealand membelasah Samoa, 37-0 di peringkat kumpulan Piala Oceania.
Tahniah kepada The Black Sticks kerana membuat penanda aras baru tetapi sambutannya sedikit berbeza.
Media New Zealand memuji kemampuan ranking ketujuh dunia itu.
"Pencapaian ini bakal menarik lebih ramai penaja," kata salah seorang peminat New Zealand dalam laman Facebook.
Konfederasi Hoki Malaysia pula menerima hakikat rekod itu hanya bertahan selama dua tahun.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif KHM, Logan Raj: "Kami tumpang gembira dengan kejayaan New Zealand. Saya harap ia jadi pembakar semangat kepada pasukan kebangsaan sama ada lelaki, wanita atau Skuad Projek 2016 untuk raih kemenangan lebih besar.
"Kita hilang rekod dunia tetapi pemain negara akan terus mencuba mencatat lebih banyak kejayaan pada masa depan," kata bekas pemain tengah kebangsaan ini.
Kalaupun bukan rekod dunia, saya harap cukuplah jika Skuad Projek 2016 cemerlang di Piala Remaja Asia di Kuantan, Pahang, bulan depan.
Empat pasukan terbaik (termasuk India) akan layak secara automatik ke Piala Dunia Remaja, tahun depan dan ia sudah cukup untuk digantikan dengan kehilangan rekod dunia.
Bazly Azmi
Fri Oct 23 2015


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