Malaysian fans are passionate!
For the past few years, I have frequently travelled to watch the Malaysian National Team’s and Johor Darul Ta’zim’s games. Undoubtedly, it is all because of the passion of Malaysian football fans that touches my heart.
My first experience with Malaysian football was during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics qualifying rounds. I stayed in Kuala Lumpur for about a month to support the Japan U-23 in the Qualifiers. So, on the days when Japan was not playing, I would go to watch the Malaysian league. I even held up a banner saying, “We Love Malaysia”!
Guess what? The next day, many Malaysian football fans came to join me in supporting Japan at Shah Alam Stadium! Thank you to the Malaysians’ support; Japan secured a spot in Atlanta in 1996, our first Olympic appearance in 28 years! Not to forget, we had yet to play in a World Cup prior, and that Olympic qualification was a huge turning point for Japanese football.
Many Malaysians will remember this, too. Malaysia was also the venue where Japan defeated Iran 3-2 in Johor Bahru in 1997 to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. That is why Malaysia is a special country for Japanese football fans!
Nowadays, I am paying more attention to Malaysian football. Honestly, I never thought that I would follow Malaysian football so closely. And for sure, one thing that keeps me close to Malaysian football is Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT). It is a team contributing to the vast development of Malaysian football, or rather, Southeast Asian football.
Unlike the temporary break in Chinese football, Malaysian football development is more substantial, as it has proven for the past ten years. Credit has to be given to the HRH Crown Prince for sure. He not only reinforced the first team by injecting high-calibre players such as Jordi Amat, Shane Lowry, Pablo Aimar and more, but he also invested heavily in developing the training centre and the stadium and possessed a long-term vision for the club. Yes, all these might look easy on paper, but the HRH Crown Prince is the one who showed it by action. I have nothing but great respect for him.
Once again, JDT has defeated Korean champion & two-time AFC Champions League winner Ulsan HD (formerly known as Ulsan Hyundai) three times in the past two years. If this does not signify a new era for Southeast Asian football, I don’t know what that is.
The next thing I want to talk about is the ULTRAS MALAYA. They are the most passionate group in Southeast Asia. They were painting the stadium yellow, filling it up even if it was an away game, singing non-stop for 90 minutes, and doing the CORTEO before any crucial match to make their presence felt at the stadium.
Songs of the ULTRAS MALAYA are considerably European influenced, but the Malaysians do infuse the supporter songs with their unique Malaysian flair, too. They should go abroad more and promote Malaysian football. Let the people there understand what Malaysian football is all about.
I see massive potential in JDT and Malaysia’s young talent, 21-year-old Arif Atman Hanapi. As much as I want to see him doing well in the AFC Champions League with JDT, I would love to see him take on the challenge overseas, too. It would be great if he could join many other Southeast Asians in the J.League. Lastly, I want to mention my favourite JDT players, Safari Rashid and Ahiyar Rashid. Although they have left the club, I hope to see them play and perform well against the champion JDT.
As usual, I am always off-topic! But I have got a great time here at the AFC Asian Cup. So I will continue to enjoy all these and bring this enjoyment to the next World Cup Qualifiers and Mitsubishi Electric Cup! See you soon!
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