After more than a 40-year wait, Malaysia has finally qualified for the Asian Cup after defeating Bangladesh in their final group E match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night (14 June).
Malaysians, especially avid football fans couldn’t contain their excitement over the emotional victory.
The Minister of Youth & Sports, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu has since extended his congratulations towards the Malaysian football players via his Twitter account.
Faizal took the opportunity to celebrate the historic night and thank the players, as well as spectators who came and showed their support which greatly impacted the spirits of the Malaysian players.
However, just recently, he had said that the cheering of the fans was one of the main factors which led to the defeat of Harimau Malaya to Bahrain. But it appears that this time, he has “changed his stance” on cheering.
“The cheering from the fans enlivened the atmosphere of the stadium & fueled the spirit of the players which led to their outstanding performance,” he said and thanked the fans’ supports.
“Are you high, Faizal?”
His “change of heart” has gained the attention of fellow Malaysians and most of them have had similar sarcastic responses towards him.
Some of them have shared images of fans at the stadium holding a banner which said, “Stop sniffing glue, Peja.”
Meanwhile, another user shared an edited image of Faizal himself doing the hush sign which is a callback to his recent remark about the cheering which distracted the football players.
In the meantime, another user expressed his disappointment towards Faizal’s insensitive remark about the cheering and said that Malaysians will always remember what he had said.
“That…actually good advice”
The images managed to capture Faizal’s attention and he has since responded to the images with another tweet.
“Thank you. That’s actually good advice for me and everyone.”
We would also like to congratulate Harimau Malaya for their victory last night. We hope that the cheering from fans had indeed brought the best out of the players which led to the emotional victory!
Also read: “Cheering caused them to lose focus” – Sports Minister Blames Crowd For Harimau Malaya’s Loss
