KUCHING: A friendly football match was arranged between the heads of departments of state and the federal heads of department was played in a competitive but friendly atmosphere here on Friday night at the Sarawak Stadium.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah officially kicked off the Sarawak side which were led by captain and head of State Planning Unit (SPU) Datu Abu Bakar Marzuki.
The State team got off to a fine start scoring two quick goals in the first half.
The Federal side led by captain Mansor bin Man who is Federal Office secretary reduced the deficit with a goal to make it 2-1 at the break.
In a game of three halfs of 15 minutes each, the second half saw the Federal side piling up the pressure to make it 2-2 and 3-2 in their favour.
In the final half the Sarawak side put in more effort but could not find the finishing touches while the Federal side sealed the game with a late goal to make it 4-2.
Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) corporate division manager Mohamad Itidzar Razali, who is the main organiser for the match, said after the game that the main purpose of holding the match is to create closeness among the various heads of department from the various agencies and departments.
“It provides an avenue for us to meet in an informal way through football which is a great way to know each other and help create closeness and camaraderie and a good chance to build our networking which is useful in our work.
“Most of these senior officers from the various agencies and departments have never met personally
“So after this game we know each other well and when we call each other for matters of work, we can recognise each other more easily which can further enhance our work.
“Our main objective is to foster and further strengthen the already good relationship between State and Federal head of department or agencies especially among the senior officers using football as a platform.
“We also want to encourage government officers to indulge in healthy lifestyle and active workforce which will lead to productivity and efficiency,” said Mohd Itidzar.
Mohamad Itidzar said the SSC which regularly hold about one friendly per month may organise other games like badminton to promote the closeness among the various agencies and departments.
About 45 heads of government departments and agencies representing the Federal and State departments such as State Planning Unit, Astana Negeri, SIRIM, RELA, BOMBA, Medical Department, Land and Survey department, Customs, Immigration, Registration Office, Federal Secretary Office, Police department, Medical department, Education department, Administration and Diplomatic Office, Pension office and many others took part in the friendly match.
