Harimau Malaya fans aim to rock the national stadium with their cheers of support

07 Jan 2023 08:23pm

Harimau Malaya supporters flock to the Bukit Jalil National Stadium to watch the first semi-final match of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 between Malaysia and Thailand - BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR - Although short of 21,000 of their fellows, local Harimau Malaya fans lucky enough to get their hands on tickets to tonight’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup first leg semifinal match between Malaysia and Thailand are looking forward to rocking the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil with their cheers as they proudly assume their role as the unofficial 12th player.

The entire issue of limited tickets seem to be the last thing on the minds of those present today, and the pre-match atmosphere is almost electric and so energetic that it would seem that tonight’s match would be played in front of a stadium packed to full capacity.

Diehard Harimau Malaya fan and a self proclaimed ‘Ultras Malaya’, Abang Mohd Zulfardly Abang Shamsu, 38, did not think that the limited number of fans was an issue to him as it was their spirit that would inspire the national squad to victory.

"I’m confident we can rock the stadium, I expect Malaysia to win 3-0 and qualify to the final,” he told Bernama today.

Fellow fan and factory operator, Muhd Hakimi Jalil, 24, was also confident that the fans tonight would rattle the Thai team’s confidence.

"Even though the stadium isn’t full, we are sure that our cheers will shake them up. InsyaAllah Malaysia wins 2-0,” he said.

Another Harimau Malaya fan, Nurul Aina Sharbini, 28, a marketing executive from Shah Alam, believed that the controversy would actually be a blessing and help Malaysia to become AFF Cup champions this year, while Azman Nawawi, 45, a cook from Kuala Terengganu, expressed his hope that the stadium management would ensure that the field would be in a good condition if Malaysia did qualify for the final.

"The concert takes place on Jan 15, and if Malaysia makes it to the final, they may play the following day (Jan 16), so I hope the stadium can ensure that the field isn’t damaged,” he said.

Last Wednesday, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman informed that 21,000 seats would remain empty as they were blocked by the stage structure used for a Jay Chou concert that was currently being constructed.

The following day, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh explained that the stage at the concert location had been booked earlier in March 2019 by the concert organisers , and involved a large number of crew members. BERNAMA