“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superceded the sights even before we stepped into the stadium.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.
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