Growing up in Johor Bahru, in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, in the 1990s, Farid Ja’ah spent countless hours playing Championship Manager (which changed its name to Football Manager in 2003).
He had great fun winning title after title playing as Manchester United, but after a while, he wanted a more challenging team.
“I played as Manchester United because I loved Eric Cantona. I noticed that each time I played against Aston Villa, the results were quite close. So, in 1996, I decided to switch teams,” said Farid, who works in human resources.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be a love affair that lasts till today.
“It was the best decision I ever made as I never had any regrets switching to The Villans.”
Farid, fondly known as Zonan Villa, is a member of the Aston Villa Malaysia Supporters Club, whose members are called the Aston Villa Malaysian Lions.
In his spare time, Farid sells T-shirts online. He also helps make merchandise for the club’s members. His proudest moment came last season when several Malaysian fans travelled to Villa Park bearing a flag he helped produce.
“I’ve yet to get a chance to watch them live, but several club members went there with a flag which identified them as Aston Villa Malaysian Lions,” said Farid.
“Perhaps, one day, I will follow in their footsteps.”
Farid revealed that although he supports Villa, his favourite player is Liverpool’s former goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, while Villa’s ex-custodian, Mark Bosnich, is a close second.
“As a former goalkeeper, my heroes are the men between the posts. However, the saddest day as a Villa fan was when Dwight Yorke left us for Manchester United in 1998,” said the 46-year-old.
“I felt like shooting him!” he joked.
These days, Farid has new heroes in Emiliano Martínez – whom he described as “the best goalkeeper in the world” – and English striker Ollie Watkins.
He believes they can help Villa qualify for the knockout stages of the revamped Champions League.
“Many didn’t expect us to qualify for the Champions League, and when we did, some said we would only be making up the numbers,” he said.
“I don’t think that will happen. We had a good start (beating Switzerland’s Young Boys 3-0 away from home), and I am confident we will reach the knockout stage.
“Our manager (Unai Emery) has done wonders since joining in 2022. He has only brought in a few players but has turned the team into a cohesive unit that is hard to beat.”
After five matches, Villa is third with 12 points, the same as Liverpool, who is ahead on goal difference.
Manchester City leads the table with 13 points, with Arsenal fourth on 11.
“I don’t want to think about a title run or winning any trophies. For now, I’m enjoying the team,” said Farid.
“Unai has given us an identity and players we can be proud of. It is no longer a case of where, or from whom we will get points, but how many we can get.”
Villa plays Ipswich on Sept 9 (9pm).
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
Sept 28
Newcastle vs Manchester City (7.30pm)
Chelsea vs Brighton (10pm)
Brentford vs West Ham (10pm)
Everton vs Crystal Palace (10pm)
Arsenal vs Leicester (10pm)
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham (10pm)
Sept 29
Wolves vs Liverpool (12.30am)
Ipswich vs Aston Villa (9pm)
Manchester United vs Tottenham (11.30pm)
Oct 1
Bournemouth vs Southampton (3am)
