Falling in Love with Football | #KaranganBolaSepak
Falling in Love with Football | #KaranganBolaSepak by Syafiq Jamali
It is the year 2005. At that time, I was a six years old who has just got into school. Times have been rough for my health. I was constantly going in and out of hospitals, sometimes at midnight because of my severe asthmatic condition. My parents were made to wait until the early morning hours, before we head home after I’ve had ample supply of oxygen from laying in bed next to the O2 tank. I wasn’t very athletic, partly because of my condition. But life went on, until the 26th May, my English teacher told us to read a piece of newspaper she’d brought to the class.
It was The Star newspaper. I remember it vividly because of the big, bold red typeface. I turned to the back pages.
“ Liverpool kings of Europe again.”
I thought to myself, “What is Liverpool? Why is there so much people in red? Who is this guy that’s standing next to the one holding the trophy with such a big smile on his face?”
It turned out to be Xabi Alonso. The Spanish midfielder had scored a penalty to bring Liverpool into the shoot-outs, and he stood out the most- particularly for his amazing looks. I mean, who wouldn’t be in awe of his stubble, and his structured jawline? A thing of beauty. And then it began. I got on into the Internet, and I searched for everything Liverpool (and Alonso). That was the beginning of it all. My obsession with the Merseyside club, my obsession with the hectic Premier League, my love for football. It wasn’t easy to watch Premier League games back then. I didn’t have an Astro subscription, so I had to bribe my brother into buying him ‘roti canai’ at the mamak just so I could watch Liverpool play. Sometimes when it’s getting too late, he’d go back home first and I’ll stay. That meant I’ll be punished at home for coming home late, but if it meant you could witness Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard ripping teams apart- I wouldn’t necessarily mind some whipping. If it meant I could be berating Howard Webb for his biased refereeing decisions when Liverpool play United, I wouldn’t mind not getting pocket money for school the next day. Usually i would save some money to buy a football magazine called ‘Wisel!’. It was very entertaining, but i think they are discontinued nowadays. There were good times for Liverpool and for football, but there were bad ones too.
The player responsible for making me love football, Xabi had gone to Real Madrid. At that time, you wouldn’t pass the chance of joining one of the biggest clubs in the world. Liverpool were also in a very tough period, with the manager Rafael Benitez underperforming- with the ultimatum coming with the loss in the repeat final of the Champions League just two years after. Milan were too good, and Liverpool were crumbling. The storm kept on coming. Roy Hodgson was the manager for some time, but Torres had left by then, added to the loss of some very influential figures in Hyypia, Gerrard and Carragher. We’d also miss out on the league in 2013. The Gerrard slip. Crystal Palace away.
But bad times don’t last forever. Football always finds a way to bring me back up again, even after it put me down so hard. Jurgen Klopp, a former Dortmund head coach was appointed Liverpool manager. At that time, I was in my high school already, and I had recovered from my severe asthmatic condition. From watching football, I was inspired to do sports. I imagined being a midfield maestro like Alonso, pictured myself banging goals for fun like Suarez. I tried everything. Football, occasional rugby, futsal, you name it. I eventually lose my chronic asthma, and I will forever be indebted to football for that. And Liverpool are flying high too. At this time of writing, Liverpool had secured their sixth Champions League win, and is running away with the league. 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have had this image of success the club has had. But it suits them perfectly. Football has got better too. Video Assistant Referees (VAR) is now introduced to help in assisting referee be near flawless in their decisions. Premier League, as ever, is as entertaining and as hectic to watch. Serie A of Italy and Bundesliga of Germany a scout’s dream for talent, and La Liga of Spain as always, Messi’s playground.
It’s hard to picture what life would be like if I hadn’t picked up the newspaper in May of 2005. The way football has impacted me, the way it has kept me alive (literally). Nowadays, I pick up newspapers, and begin reading from the back. That’s where all the good news in life come from.
Thank you,
Syafiq Jamali
twitter: @sidesyafiq
