Statement reveals Vincent Tan’;s cause for concern over Cardiff City transfers

As the dust settles on Malky Mackay's sacking by Cardiff City, the full details of the club's £50 million (RM273 million) summer spending spree has emerged for the first time.

The staggering amounts paid for players is believed to have angered Cardiff owner, Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan (pic), which led to the deterioration of his relationship with Mackay.
Less than 24 hours after Cardiff lost 0-3 at home to Southampton in the English Premier League, Mackay was given his marching orders by Tan.

The Daily Mail reported that signings which angered Tan included the £7.6 million paid for striker Andreas Cornelius, who has yet to score for Cardiff City.

Tan released a statement yesterday accusing Mackay of generating favourable media publicity and exposing far too much dirty linen to public gaze.

However, the Daily Mail reported that Tan was still furious over the £50 million which was spent on player fees, signing-on fees, image rights deals and fees to agents.

In the summer, Cardiff signed Gary Medel (£11.4 million), Steven Caulker (£8 million), Peter Odemwingie (£2.5 million) and Kevin Theophile-Catherine (£2.2 million).

"These deals played a crucial role in October's dismissal of head of recruitment Iain Moody," the Daily Mail said.

Tan claimed he had authorised £35 million to be spent while Moody insisted that in meetings held in mid-April the sum agreed was £50 million.

Tan was reportedly angry with Cornelius's signing because the 20-year-old striker left FC Copenhagen, where he earned £6,000 a week, to sign a contract with Cardiff worth £45,000 a week.

"Cardiff paid a club-record £7.6 million, possibly rising to £10.93 million, based on appearances," the Daily Mail said.

However, Cornelius has appeared only seven times as a substitute, out of Cardiff's 18 premiership and two league cup matches this season. In total, he has been on the pitch for 87 minutes and has yet to score for the club.

It is understood that Cardiff have already undertaken a thorough financial audit, including an email trail, into Cardiff's transfer business in the summer.

These details have been included in board minutes following Moody's departure.
The ill-feeling between the Cardiff City owner and his former manager came to a boil with the sudden removal of Moody in October.

Tan was said to be further infuriated at Mackay's hopes of adding to his squad in January, which resulted in an email sent by Tan to Mackay last week with a "resign or be sacked" ultimatum.

The club's supporters had put their weight clearly behind Mackay with a demand for Tan to leave and put the club up for sale. They have mainly been angered over changes made to the club's crest and the colour of the home jersey, from the traditional blue to red.

Meanwhile, Wales Online reported that Molde manager and former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is Tan's favourite to succeed Mackay.

"Club chairman Mehmet Dalman has been given the green light by Tan to find Mackay's successor and Solskjaer is top of the list," Wales Online reported.

It is understood that Solskjaer will be given a transfer kitty of £15 million to spend in the January transfer window if he agrees to take over at Cardiff.

Other applicants in the frame include former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, former Argentina and Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa and Turkish coach Yilmaz Vural. - December 28, 2013.

Credit to MSN Malaysia

Perkhidmatan bas RapidKL, LRT dan Monorel dilanjut sehingga pukul 2 pagi pada 31 Disember

KUALA LUMPUR - Perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam bandar, bas RapidKL, sistem transit aliran ringan (LRT) dan monorel akan dilanjutkan sempena sambutan Tahun Baharu 2014, Selasa ini.

Naib Presiden Eksekutif Jabatan Komunikasi dan Pemasaran Strategik Kumpulan Prasarana Negara Berhad, Lim Jin Aun berkata, semua stesen LRT dan monorel akan dibuka sehingga pukul 1 pagi dengan stesen utama iaitu KL Sentral, KLCC, Masjid Jamek, Hang Tuah, Imbi, Bukit Bintang, Bukit Nanas dan Titiwangsa melanjutkan operasi masing-masing sehingga pukul 2 pagi.

"Meskipun begitu, kami akan memantau bilangan pengguna dengan teliti.

Jika terdapat keperluan untuk melanjutkan lagi tempoh operasi, kami akan berbuat demikian selain menambah bilangan tren,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Perkhidmatan bas RapidKL pula akan dilanjut setengah jam melebihi perkhidmatan tren bagi memudahkan orang ramai, katanya.

Lim berkata, laluan bas yang akan dilanjut perkhidmatannya ialah U64 (dari Taman Seri Muda ke Pasar Seni), U66 (Taman Medan ke Pasar Seni), U68 (Sri Manja/Sentosa ke Pasar Seni), U70 (Puchong Prima ke Pasar Seni), U22 (Sri Nilam ke Jalan Hang Lekiu), U40 (Terminal Kajang ke Mydin Sinar Kota), U23 (Taman Melawati ke Lebuh Ampang), U224 (Bandar Dato Senu ke Kotaraya), U6 (Taman Jasa Utama ke Medan Pasar) dan U88 (Kota Damansara ke Pasar Seni). - Bernama

Dipetik dari www.kosmo.com.my

Bilionair Malaysia pecat pengurus Cardiff City

CARDIFF - Pengurus kelab bola sepak Cardiff City, Malky Mackay telah dipecat pada hari ini sehari selepas kelab Wales itu tewas 0-3 kepada Southampton.

Pemergian pengurus yang berusia 42 tahun itu telah dijangka apabila pemilik kelab tersebut, Vincent Tan, menghatar e-mel berbaur desakan kepadanya sama ada mahu meletak jawatan atau dipecat.

Melalui kenyataan rasmi laman web Bluebirds itu: "Lembaga Pengarah di Kelab Bola Sepak Cardiff City telah bersetuju memecat Malky Mackay daripada jawatannya.

"Pengurus baharu yang dilantik untuk menggantikan beliau akan diumumkan dalam jangka waktu terdekat."

Kekalahan semalam telah meletakkan kelab yang dimiliki oleh bilionair Malaysia itu hanya lebih satu mata daripada zon penyingkiran. - AFP

Dipetik dari www.kosmo.com.my

Kidnapped traveler saved in Philippines

The China Post news staff
December 21, 2013, 12:07 am TWN

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A Taiwanese tourist has reportedly been rescued from kidnappers who abducted her and killed her husband on a small Malaysian island last month, Taiwanese police said yesterday.

Chang An-wei (張安薇) was sent to a Filipino hospital to undergo a medical checkup after being rescued, said Lin Teh-hua (林德華), commissioner of Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB).

Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) cited “reliable” sources from the Filipino military who confirmed that Chang, 58, was freed from her armed kidnappers in Maimbung, a small town on the southern Filipino island of Sulu, after 35 days in captivity.

Chang received a medical checkup at a Filipino medical facility, CNA said, adding that the Southeast Asian country's police also confirmed the news.

CNA did not release further details about the rescue mission or her health before press time.
Chang was vacationing with her husband, Hsu Li-min (許立民), 57, on Pom Pom Island, located off Sabah in the Malaysian region of Borneo, in the early hours of Nov. 15 when an unknown number of gunmen raided their beach resort hotel room. They shot the husband dead and kidnapped her. It is believed that she was then transported to the Philippines.

Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) of the ruling Kuomintang, who had been helping the family after the kidnapping, told reporters that he received confirmation about the rescue at about 5 p.m. yesterday.

Tsai, who posted a message on his Facebook page breaking the news, said it is hoped that Chang can return to Taiwan before Christmas.

Officials with Taiwan's representative office in Malaysia also disclosed that the Malaysian government confirmed the news.

The officials were cited as saying that Taiwan's foreign ministry will discuss with the Filipino and Malaysian governments regarding further arrangements for her.

The officials also extended their gratitude to Malaysia and the Philippines for their help in ending the hostage's ordeal.

The Filipino police also indicated that the hostage's brother Chang Ta-kong recently went to Manila for the second time to discuss the rescue mission.

The brother had previously traveled to Manila to try and negotiate a ransom with the captors.
But whether or not a negotiation took place has not yet been confirmed. It is also still unknown if the kidnappers received any ransom money.

There were also unconfirmed reports claiming that the hostage was released by the captors, rather than rescued by military troops.

Reports from Singapore said Chang is currently staying at Merin Hospital in Sulu, Philippines, and is expected to be moved to Zamboanga city within three days.

(Credit to http://www.chinapost.com.tw)

Philippine military frees tourist from gunmen

By Farik Zolkepli, The Star/Asia News Network
December 21, 2013, 12:07 am TWN

PETALING JAYA -- A Taiwanese tourist who was kidnapped from Pom Pom island off Sabah on Nov. 15 has been rescued by Philippines security forces, said IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar. 

In his Tweet, Khalid congratulated the Philippines for successfully rescuing Chang An-wei.

“The victim was rescued in Sulu and transported to Merin Hospital there.

“She will be flown to Zamboanga City tomorrow,” Khalid said, adding that the Philippines authorities will divulge more details and further development in the matter.

In the incident on Nov. 15, gunmen shot dead Chang's husband and took her away in a raid on the resort of Pulau Pom Pom off Semporna in the east coast of Sabah.

They had arrived in a pump boat about 1 a.m.

Initial reports indicate that gunmen landed on the water villas of Pom Pom Island Resort and Spa and ransacked three of six villas including the one occupied by the victim Lim Min-hsu, 57, and Chang, 58.

At the time of the raid, there were 48 tourists and staff on the island, but it could not be ascertained if all of them have been accounted for.

There were no details of who the gunmen were and if they were linked to any Filipino groups from the neighboring southern Philippines.

The resort is about 1 kilometer away from the General Operation Force (GOF) and tight security has been maintained on the waters stretching from Semporna to Lahad Datu in the Celebes and Sulu seas since the Sulu armed group attack on Lahad Datu in February.

According to initial accounts of the shooting in Pulau Pom Pom, a 45-minute boat ride from Semporna, a supervisor at the resort heard gunshots at about 1am on Friday and immediately informed the GOF post.

Immediately, about a dozen GOF personnel rushed to the resort where they found the body of Lim with two gunshot wounds along the corridor.

His wife however was missing and she was believed to have been kidnapped by the gunmen who were last heard heading toward Pulau Mataking near the Philippines waters.

In late August, nine fishermen from Semporna reported being abducted by Filipino gunmen who wanted directions to the Pulau Mabul diving haven.

They were later abandoned at sea when the gunmen spotted a GOF post near the resort and fled. 

(Credit to http://www.chinapost.com.tw)

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