The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and Malaysia Football League (MFL) have the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) breathing down their necks as football clubs in the country can’t seem to pay wages.
There’s South Korean Kim Pan-gon stepping down (or away) as national football coach, while football rivalries have now evolved into online bickering, mainly involving two states, and its royal households.
Many are wondering what has gone wrong with Malaysian football.
There’s been a series of violence in Malaysian football involving fans, coaches, and players. We should look no further than the 2023 FA Cup final between Johor Darul Ta’zim and Kuala Lumpur City FC where a fan alleged he was assaulted by security personnel at the stands.
Such violence worry me greatly because I know that over the years, I have caused a great deal of offence to a great many people – politicians, ex-footballers, current footballers, pundits, coaches, administrators, supporters, referees, Singaporeans, people who support Manchester United, sports journalists, sports brands, people who use ‘soccer’ instead of football … the list is endless.
There is a good chance that my ‘seat number’ would be texted to the ‘opinion police’, and shortly thereafter, I would end up sprawling at the front door of an emergency room, missing a tooth.
Causing offence has somehow become football’s number one crime. Which means that if you frequent stadiums and/or have your very own football chat show, your number one rule is to grin, nod, and not roll your eyes.
This is damaging to the industry. Companies will turn their backs on football like how I would avoid rabid dogs during my afternoon jog. This passive resistance stems from the company’s opinion that the association with football may result in a negative impact on their brand equity.
Furthermore, this is why we no longer have constructive debates and discussions showcased by the late Shebby Singh or columnist Rizal Hashim. What we have to contend with nowadays, are the likes of Mr Goody Two-Shoes – the sort of man you’d want your daughter to marry, one who has great teeth, and perhaps even a lovely range of cardigans.
The thing is, you can’t treat football like tennis or chess. You cannot tell supporters to stop chanting, or not to be noisy because it may cause offence to the opposing team. Your average football fan will be offended.
And as such, this makes football somewhat impossible for our royal members to be a part of.
Sensibly, advisors to the royal institutions would ask royal members to stay away from football. They would recommend other sports, like equestrian, polo, or perhaps croquet.
But it would also be a shame, as we will never in any way, witness the success of clubs like JDT or Selangor FC if not for the generous involvement of the respective royal families.
Hence the classic debate. What would you prefer?
The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.
