My Football Story | #KaranganBolaSepak
My Football Story | #KaranganBolaSepak by Kin Fai
The 90’s is a very different time to what it is now in 2020. As incredible as it might sound now, it was a time where there was no mobile phones or internet for children to put their innocent young paws on.
As one of the many impressionable teenager growing up in that era, all we had to rely on for activity or entertainment were very limited to a square television, newspaper, books or actual physical activities.
Following football back then was very much limited to what RTM and TV3 could show, on top of what the newspaper put on their back pages.
While football fans these days transcend borders in terms of the team that they idolise, back then the only option was to start supporting your state team – and for me that was Perak.
I was no more than 10 years old (yes, you can guess my age now) when I caught the 1990 FA Cup final between Perak and Selangor which my team went on to win 4-2.
Azizol Abu Haniffah remains the best ever Malaysian midfielder I’ve ever saw, live or otherwise, even to this day. Shame what happened later in his career but on his day, he was unplayable.
Names that would forever be etched in my memory from that team includes Kinta Express - P. Ravindran, Jang Jung, Nidzam Adzha, Kyi Lwin and Aung Naing.
Over the subsequent 30-odd years, I have fell out and fell back in love with Malaysian football. Turning from a boy to a man meant there were interests elsewhere but I’m glad the passion for the local game came back.
Cut to 2016 and by then I was right smack in the football business – churning out articles in a journalistic role that meant I would be following teams to wherever they play their fixtures.
And that year was the AFF Championship or better known by it’s sponsorship name – AFF Suzuki Cup where Malaysia had been drawn to play in Myanmar alongside Vietnam and Cambodia.
Having already covered the 2014 edition in Singapore, I was elated that my company had once again decided to open the coffers and sent me over to Yangon.
We all remember how that tournament turned out for Malaysia, then under the stewardship of Datuk Ong Kim Swee as the head coach, after Dollah Salleh’s premature departure months earlier.
We won a hard-fought opening match against Cambodia but lost the next two to finish third and were booted out of the competition in the group stage.
But that’s not the main reason I chose to tell this story.
In between the first and the second game which was against Vietnam, Malaysia of course continued to train and prepare for their matches.
Now back then, the only training pitch afforded to the teams including the host was one that is located right next to the Thuwunna Stadium.
Those who have been there know what it looks like and I’m not kidding you when I say that the path onto the pitch includes crossing a small farm with plenty of vegetation being grown by the locals.
As usual, I arrived early with a peer for Malaysia’s training and it so happens that Myanmar were still doing theirs. They could have denied us entry and made us wait outside but they didn’t.
I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I was only aware that Gerd Zeise was the head coach but did not know who his assistant was.
Aung Thu was the star of the Myanmar team and my eyes went searching for him to see how he does in training, when I saw another familiar looking person conducting the training.
It was none other than Kyi Lwin, the lanky and thin midfielder that has helped Perak lift the very lift FA Cup trophy back in 1990. Though in this iteration, he had obviously put on some weight since.
When I approached him, he was still putting on a stern look but it all changed into a very friendly demeanour after I told him that I was a Perak fan and had watched him play.
We could just about converse in simple English and in the short chat, he recounted some of his team mates and spoke highly of them.
To this day he’s still holding the same position with the national team – the assistant head coach. So with any luck of the draw, I could still chance upon him again.
Not everyone gets to meet their childhood hero but I did and it was something I would always cherish.
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.