Fixing Attitude | #KaranganBolaSepak
Fixing “I am Malay first” attitude among Malaysian football fans | #KaranganBolaSepak by Seng Foo
Our new Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, once said, "I am Malay first." Non-Malays might be unhappy hearing that, but it got lost in semantics that he actually said, "I am Malay first, but being Malay doesn't mean I am not Malaysian." (yes, he did say that)
Although I might not necessarily agree with the Prime Minister's political leanings and actions, I think the full quote, which means he will also treat non-Malays well, can be applied among Malaysian football supporters.
For as long as I have been covering Malaysian football as a sports writer (almost eight years), I have seen local football purists at loggerheads with fans of other leagues, usually the EPL. They often deem those fans as pengkhianat as well as sometimes bangsa final for attending and watching big local matches only. They want these foreign leagues to be gone from Malaysian TV, forcing football fans to follow just local football. For me, this mentality is incorrect and has to change.
Firstly, foreign leagues like the EPL will never go away because of their global popularity, and even if they do, the rakyat will just stream illegally. Secondly, how do you expect to attract EPL fans to watch local football when you insult them and undermine their favourite league? “Bapak mak kau kenapa tak boleh? Dia pun pandang hina bola tempatan!” seems to be a common rebuttal. It is going to be never ending if we go back and forth about siapa betul siapa salah, so let’s focus on the point I’m trying to say:
In the same vein of what Muhyiddin said, you can be a Malaysian football fan first but it doesn’t mean you have to mistreat those who don’t follow it as religiously as you do.
Just like how you can be both Malay (Chinese/Indian/whatever your ethnicity is) and Malaysian, we can enjoy the M-League (in this context: Malay) and other leagues (in this context: Malaysian) at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive and can coexist. Basically, be inclusive and accepting; don't alienate and push the foreign football fans away. Encourage and educate them about local football even if they are not receptive about it.
Be like me. :D
I brought a colleague to watch Malaysia vs Indonesia at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last year. He was an EPL fan and knew basically nothing about Malaysian football, but because of me always talking about it at office, he decided to follow me to the game. Long story short, the Harimau Malaya won and we had a blast.
Let’s go back a year further to my all-time favourite football game: the 2018 Malaysia Cup final. I basically nagged a colleague, who preferred the EPL and was also from Perak, to watch it and we WhatsApp-ed each other throughout the nervy game against Terengganu. The result, as you should know, was Perak winning on penalties after drawing 3-3 in regular time.
Is it so bad if they only watched big matches and finals? Maybe, but my two colleagues still watched it. With that, we had two more people watching local games, not two fewer.
Will they end up becoming diehard local football fans? I have no idea, but I know I have helped educating at least two people about Malaysian football.
In a nutshell, if you really love local football, you will want more fans to watch it. Be a good ambassador to promote the game and talk up the M-League – without talking down the EPL and other football competitions. Treat foreign football fans well, and who knows, they will come around someday. So, be a Malay, and be a Malaysian.
Note from padangbolasepak.com: During the Restriction Movement Order 2020 Malaysia to combat Covid19 - Padangbolasepak.com encourages you from home to write essays about our beloved game of football. Can be anything. Why you fell in love with it? Your first game watching or playing? Friendships forged? Etc. Stars the limit.
500-1,000 / more words.
The objective is simple. Sharing the joy of football. Challenge you to write about the joy you may want to share. As well as keep you occupied and encourage to write. Provided that you have nothing else to do. Email us your essay with a photo attached at contact@padangbolasepak.com & we’ll post on the website as well on social media.
Thank you and take care brothers and sisters.