Malaysia oh Malaysia…
MyTeam vs.
Malaysia - Bkt Jalil Stadium, 28th May 2006, 7.30pm
err… MyTeam vs. Malaysia under 20s…
"Wow!! Is this for real?", ask myself a couple of weeks
ago after learning that the latest reality TV show business is serious about
business. Well, it is real at the beginning. The prospect of the Malaysian
National ‘ELITE‘ Team being trounced by a bunch of amateur or ‘kampung
boy‘ players is a frightening experience
to be in, even for the likes of me(which has never played at any high level of
football in my life), or a father of a representative of the exciting MyTeam.
So, it’s not a surprise to learn that some of the ‘elite’ in the high echelon
of Football Association of Malaysia are sweating hard in their supposedly cold
air- conditioned room.
They know, we all know what kind of reception these people get
when they first came out with this idea. The brainchild of the twin Executive
Producer, Dato’ Khairy
‘the-most-powerful-28-year-old’ Jamalludin and Jason ‘Evening News’ Lo to come out with this new
reality TV Show gives hope to thousands or even millions of hopefuls in this
country, the chance for them to play at the highest level of football, to compete
against the best in Malaysian football. Before we go further down the road,
this is not Malaysian Idol, AF or One in a Million kind of reality show. Its
objective is clear, and they’re
serious about solving probably the biggest mystery of our country, the
weakness of Malaysian football. It’s like ‘We can live in our dreams’,
or ‘I am living a footballer’s dream’.
MyTeam is a reality TV show, created to assemble 22 of the most
gifted amateur players in the country, give them the chance to prove their
stuffs, and God bless, compete at the pinnacle of Malaysian football, against
the might of the Malaysian National Team. It’s a grueling 1 1/2 months
of search, trials and selections. But thanks to the help of one successful
entrepreneur named Tony
Frernandes, that journey is made a bit easier thanks to his very
much loved red airlines of Air Asia. At the selection venue though, TM made it
very convenient to the organizers and hopefuls with their BIG umbrella, large
signboards as protection and smooth communication among the staffs. The
‘not-proven-but-demanding’ head coach Mr. Serbegeth ‘Shebby’ Singh and his
‘unknown’ assistant coach Mr. Bojan carefully monitoring the selection and
eventually made the selection which he thinks the best and competent enough to
make it to the big stage. The journey to all over the country at about 8-10
venues, 48 of the made it to Kuala Lumpur for final selection and training. After a month of grueling and tight training
regime, the final 22 has been decided. They are ready for the final hurdle, the
Malaysia National Team. This is
it, THE moment of their lives.
But not quite so Joe, like what you think. After weeks of
speculation, it’s finally confirmed. MyTeam will NOT play against the Malaysia
National Team (depends on how you define it). You might want to try out http://www.fam.org.my/teamframe.html
to know which the REAL Malaysian National Team is. The National Team that we
saw beaten by Indonesia in Merdeka Cup Final last year, the team that we saw
didn’t qualify for the Asian Cup at DOHA, the team that we saw lay 127th in the
official FIFA rankings. No, that’s not team that we’re going to watch playing
against MyTeam. So, which Malaysian National team are we going to see playing
against them then?? Well, according to the secretary general, anybody can be the
Malaysian National Team. Even my half-fit players of Condase FC or even
Ramblers FC of Penang can be the Malaysian National
Team. YES, you can name your hometown team as the official Malaysian National
team. At least that’s what we’ve been told by the elite of the
Association. So, as a result, the amateurs of the under 20s is the OFFICIAL
MALAYSIAN NATIONAL TEAM these days. That is the team that is going to play
against the MyTeam this Sunday. After all the big investment the team has made,
including a trip to Old Trafford, is it worth playing against the National
under 20s as their biggest game of their lives?? You don’t have to be a rocket
scientist to figure out why this is happening. I will list you down why this
strange situation occurs:
1. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam is embarrassing
2. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam is like a slap to the face
3. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam is like we’re not professional
enough
4. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam is like we’re not competent
5. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam is like we failed to deliver the
promise we made
6. Getting beaten by the amateurs of MyTeam shows that we are just NOT GOOD
ENOUGH
Now
you know it. MAJULAH SUKAN UNTUK NEGARA?? HOW??
Now do we care???
