After 42 long years, Malaysia finally qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Finals on merit, with the Harimau Malaya squad featuring in the 2007 Asian Cup Finals due to being co-hosted with Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Unfortunately, our national football team still has a long way to go to be a force in the international football scene as we’ve already been knocked out after two group-stage games, both ending in losses.
However, the most recent game against Bahrain has got to be the most gut-wrenching as a Harimau Malaya fan, as we lost in the last minute after showing great resolve throughout the first 89 minutes.
For this father and son duo who were watching from the big screen at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the heartbreaking loss was just too much, with both bawling their eyes out post-match.
Going viral on TikTok, a 27-second video of the two crying has caught the attention of Malaysians, with many lauding them as true fans of Harimau Malaya.
In the video, the boy can be seen being hugged by his mother as he bawls his eyes out and while the father can be seen being relaxed at first, he also cried and used the Jalur Gemilang he brought to cover his face and hide his tears.
Throughout all this, the family was consoled by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli who was also in attendance at the National Stadium and mingled with the crowd.
Pahit untuk ditelan, tetapi itu keputusannya.
Terima kasih seluruh pasukan serta Ekor Harimau Malaya yang telah berjuang demi negara.
Harimau Malaya punyai satu lagi tugas untuk bangkit menentang Korea Selatan.
Satukan hatimu, demi Malaysiaku ???
Latar muzik: Chant oleh… pic.twitter.com/YqKMg2O9HL
— Adam Adli (@AdamAdli) January 21, 2024
The TikTok video was shared by user @afiezenal who wrote,
“We win together, we lose together. Harimau Malaya will rise up and succeed!”
In the comments, @afiezenal gave further context on the video, revealing that the boy, Farees plays as a goalkeeper for the SmothFC Under-8 football club while his father is a goalkeeper coach who idolises Syihan Hazmi, the national team goalkeeper.
@afiezenal added,
“This family has a football soul. Let’s pray that Farees will be a successful player one day.”
You can watch the video here:
In the video’s comments section, many were touched by the father and son’s duo love for Harimau Malaya.
One commenter said that someone who is truly a fan of Malaysian football will know how sad it is to see the Harimau Malaya squad, while those who are only ‘seasonal’ fans will only cheer when we win and will condemn the team when we lose.
Meanwhile, another commenter said that despite the loss, he still believes in our national team coach Kim Pan-Gon to lead Harimau Malaya to success.
So, what do you guys think of the video? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: KPG Says Harimau Malaya’s Early Asian Cup Exit is His Fault, M’sians Continue to Show Support
