Jakarta Casual

Waking up at stupid o'clock to watch games, flying halfway round the world paying exorbitant prices or genuinely getting excited about a pre-season kick around featuring their heroes without needing a passport may not seem much to those lucky fans who can follow the Arsenal, Barcelona or Juventus home or away. 

But for those who do, it shows how desperate they are to follow a proper football team in a proper league. I wrote a book about supporting local leagues in South East Asia and while it may be easy to sit from a far and tell people that's what they should do, I was well aware it's not so easy on the ground where a toxic mixture of politics, incompetence and ego. With that in mind, let's take a sympathetic look at it from their perspective for a change and for no other reason than I haven't written about Malaysia since I restarted posting, we'll start there.

Players being assaulted and the alleged case of the seven 'naturalised players' won't be covered given the legal complexities and I'll steer clear of the one team nature of the league but there is plenty going on to leave the most committed Malaysian football fan feeling disheartened.

If ever there was a sleeping giant it's Kelantan. A mere 15 years ago they ruled supereme, winning the Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup twice each in a thrilling three year period. Today, they seem to no longer exist. Instead other clubs fight for their legacy or relevance. 

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Kelantan Darul Naim changing their name (again) to Kelantan The Real Warriors is only the latest episode in a soap opera playing out in the North East. They were founded in 2016 as MPKB BRI Ube S FC (don't ask) but changed their name a year later to Kelantan United. They probably decided on the latest iteration of their name to differentiate them from Kelantan Red Warrior who were founded in December 2024 and play in the supremely daftly named Malaysia A1 Semi Pro League. 

That aforementioned A1 Semi Pro League is enough to have any football traditionalist crying in their Bovril. An eclectic mixture of reserve teams (JDT II, Selangor II, Immigration II), an invited team from South Korea, kampung sides (Perlis GSA, Kelantan WTS, Machang, Manjung City, Bunga Raya) and a couple of University linked sides. Oh, and just for a lark we have Kedah FA and Kedah Darul Aman. Don't ask which is the original, my brain is fried just thinking about it.

So, let's look at it from a Malaysian football fan's point of view. Imagine a weekend where you could watch DPMM (from Brunei) v PDRM (Malaysian Police) or Kedah FA v Kedah Darul Aman. If you fancy a derby, the nearest is Penang v Immigration although one is based on the island and the later on the main land.All these games can be enjoyed in poorly equipped stadiums with little in the way of facilities, featuring players you will probably be unfamiliar with given the lack of media attention. Or perhaps watch JDT, who at least look like and feel like a football club, canter through another season unbeaten. 

Alternatively, you could set the alarm clock and wake up in time to watch elite players from the other side of the planet from the comfort of your sofa or your favourite coffee shop or nasi lemak stall. And as you watch the likes of Lamine Yamal, Bakayo Saka and Ousmane Dembele, perhaps ask yourself a question. Why is Malaysian business keen to invest in overseas clubs but not in the local game?

The passion is there for football. It's just a shame no-one in a position of authority is able to channel that enthusiasm for the greater good of Malaysian football

# posted by Me @ 6:00 PM