The Manchester United juggernaut will travel to Kuala Lumpur on July 26. Personally I feel the club's tour of Asia, namely China, South Korea, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, is little more than a globe-trotting postscript to their season.For the Old Trafford moneymen who helped make the club the richest and most recognised brand in the world, however, the tour is a vital cog in a global business plan aimed at cashing in on their vast international fan base.
We need little reminding that the game between United and a Malaysian selection was supposed to be held on July 27, 2007, a date that clashed with the latter stages of the Asian Cup, AFC's showpiece event. I pointed out United could come the following year, the year after that and even make annual excursions to Kuala Lumpur until we celebrate the nation's centenary in 2057.
As a school-going fan, I was enthralled by Mickey Thomas, Lou Macari and Martin Buchan, to name a few, at the Merdeka Stadium sometime in the early 1980s. In 1995 I remember the Red Devils' trip to the New Straits Times Press headquarters ahead of their two matches against a Selangor Selection at Shah Alam Stadium. They came without Eric Cantona and Alex Ferguson then.
Like my fellow Malaysians, I enjoyed the distinction of being the first to watch Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron in the famous red jersey apart from bearing witness to Akmal Rizal Rakhli's audacious 35-metre effort which rocked Fabien Barthez's crossbar at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in 2001.
The national Under-23 team, strengthened by a few seniors, were whitewashed 6-0. So, did the defeat transform our fortunes overnight? Except that it gave the Malaysian players a chance to swap jerseys with the millionaires from Manchester.
Anyway I hope to be at the stadium come July 26. Read here
Like my fellow Malaysians, I enjoyed the distinction of being the first to watch Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron in the famous red jersey apart from bearing witness to Akmal Rizal Rakhli's audacious 35-metre effort which rocked Fabien Barthez's crossbar at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in 2001.
The national Under-23 team, strengthened by a few seniors, were whitewashed 6-0. So, did the defeat transform our fortunes overnight? Except that it gave the Malaysian players a chance to swap jerseys with the millionaires from Manchester.
Anyway I hope to be at the stadium come July 26. Read here
11 comments:
spoken to rafa, liverpool too will be coming in early august!
boring la balik2 team ni datang. Bukan bagus sangat pun...
Word has it that Malay Mail could well return to the NSTP stable in the near future. The afternoon tabloid was sold for RM3 million less then a year ago and it seems that a top gun is not too happy with its frankness in reporting the political situation in the country. So the order is out that NSTP should take Malay Mail back under its wings and the stage is set for "re-admission" (read buy back) of the paper within the next few weeks.
Posted by SS DHALIWAL at 08:52
Hopefully Tevez is will be around with them :(
Takde team lain ke?
Overrated!
On Malay Mail, I totally oppose the buyover (if it really is in the pipeline). MM's doing fine, I like what I am seeing, and we need MM and The Sun doing the Rakyat a huge favour with their coverage!
On MM take over:
Yes it has been confirmed.
But that is not the juicy news..
little bird has it that Tony, Frankie, Bill, and few of the old timers brought in by the new pwners, are on their way out.
and guess what? former MM fellows who are in NST now are slated to be back in MM in the likes of Ah Chai, Lionel, Badrul...these goons brought MM to its knees before and did the same with NST when they went over there...
mmmm...i wonder what awaits the "new MM"...
wonderer
overated laaa MU.
Rizal...what benefit does our national team gain from the MU trip? Only to swap jerseys? They are here merely to make profit out of their holiday. Why Malaysia is the last stopover? Because Malaysian national team is no match to them? Want to see their best players on the field against Malaysia? Dare to dream! Its best for FAM to organize something that really benefit our football rather than being booed and jeered by our own fans who are fanatical enough to support the EPL teams. Semangat kebangsaan? Not Malaysians..
Kalau MU dtg dah tentu ada pemain dah bermimpi nak tukar jersey mcm yang pernah berlaku dulu kat Bkt Jahil. Jelas pemain Malaysia tak tahu malu!!! Buang masa main dgn diorang ni. By the time PM masa tu dikatakan fanatik kat team ni. Silap2 ada private party or diner lak dgn diorg. Negara dah kecoh macam ni pun sibuk nak sambut team kokak ni datang.
For what shall it profit the Malaysian fans if they go gaga over the Red Devils and lose their own souls.
Agree with Kaki Bola.
This MU trip is just a scam to make more money and of no practical use to the Malaysian Football team.
Of course, the fans who cannot afford to make a trip to Old Trafford will be happy.
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