Sunday, July 31, 2016

Melaka United FC

“Anyone interested to watch Malacca team play?” was what my WhatsApp message read on Tuesday, 26/7/2016 while I was typing furiously and squeezing every ounce of idea in my work that day. The message was followed by an incredibly green colored knotted fist with words emblazoned “Perlawanan Piala Malaysia 2016 – Melaka Vs Felda United ” followed by details of the venue, date and kickoff time. My mind screamed “Now, seriously?” and then followed by the throwing of my specs on the table, looking up, hands outstretched to the back of my head thinking, “Why not?”. That started my “little adventure” of asking my friend, Fook Meng to order the tickets and started doing some little searched on Google for the team sheet facts and so on. Hey, not bad, not bad at all .… currently ,1st in the current Malaysian Premier League 2016, man! Woo hoo! Well done, Melaka United!


So, together with friends, Errol, Capt.Edwin, Josephine and Jocelyn, we trudged along the conspicuously jammed road leading to Stadium Hang Jebat, home of Melaka United to meet up with Fook Meng who was waiting for us with our Grandstand tickets for the match. I must admit that as we got nearer to the stadium, one could feel the eclectic feeling and the thunderous support for the Melaka team. The sounds and atmosphere superceded the sights even before we stepped into the stadium. I must admit that we were late due to the horrendously blocked parking areas at the stadium, traffic crawl and we had to park way back near the Aquatic Centre which was a long way to walk.


To me, the excitement of going back to the stadium to watch a live football match was incredulously exciting and exhilarating indeed. As we walked the steps up to the grandstand of our seats, the noise, the shouts, the drums sounds, the supporters’ chants were all very evidently exciting and such wonderful feeling. Gosh! It was like the old days when I used to go to Kubu Stadium in Melaka town to watch the likes of Soh Chin Aun, G.Torairaju, RamliJunid, Wong Kow Fu and other legends play.


As we reached the top of the grandstand seats, the scenery was fantastic and the atmosphere for a football match was even better. Sentiments and emotions racked up way up high as supporters clapped, jeered and the long “oooohhhhhs” and “aaahhhhhhhss” plus unsupported football tactics are exchanged between us, the supporters. It was really heart-warming to see so many supporters at the stadium. All in all, mid way through the night, thirteen thousand (13,000) fans and supporters watched the match. This was announced by the announcer of the night through the loudspeakers and not my evaluation at all.

Sure, it was no EPL like match but the spirit of competitiveness and the hunger for success was clearly noted on the field and on the faces of every Melaka United players and  supporters including me. After all, born and breed Malaccan lar….sure lar must support my home state team, Melaka United.

I guess, I enjoyed the atmosphere more than ever together with my group of friends who shared the same sentiment of enjoyment at watching a live football match. Yeah, nothing beats going to the stadium to watch a football match, I tell you!

Anyway, the best part of all was that we were all like some country bumpkins taking out our handphones for selfies, wefies and all that including yours truly. I guess, this is indeed a rare event as most of us are so absorbed in our work and time that we really have forgotten  to take a kit-kat break for football matches like this. I guess, to me, it wasn’t so much about the match but football had that kind of magic that makes one feel relaxed, absorbed and sometimes fanatic in certain ways. I was also puzzled with myself when suddenly I would clap my hands, or shout some insults when the referee’s decision did not go to Melaka United way or shout some obscenities even without realising it! Yup, football brings out the bets in a person.

Yup, football does that to you. It’s that magic and that “madness” when you are at the stadium,man! I tell you, the experience is so different rather than slouching at that lazy man sofa of yours watching the match, popping kacang putih in your mouth and holding a can of Coca-cola. I guess, the floodlights, the drum sounds and the Melaka supporters chants & songs made it all a carnival like atmosphere of fun and football.

Yeah, it sucks that Melaka United lost that night by a solitary goal through a near post  glancing header during the corner kick but it was an alright night outing of a good football match as far as I was concerned. Like all sporting event, there will be a winner and a loser. It is all part and parcel of a football match too. I think, the important thing is to give it all in the field and to work hard towards building the team.
 
For a supporter like me, I am just happy to be part of the supporters’ statistic for that night as it was really a great experience and I would definitely be back at the stadium to watch another football match.


Ole Melaka United!

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