AFF Suzuki Cup 2014; done and dusted. Congratulations to Thailand. Nobody should take anything away from them. They truly deserved the title and they will only get better with their talented team and highly respected coach, Kiatisuk Senamuang.
Not many had a lot of faith on the Malaysia team at the beginning of the tournament. Some didn’t think they would even make it to the semi-final. Can’t really blame them for that. Based on the team’s preparation, things never seemed convincing enough and expectations were low. But the Malaysians proved them wrong and made it to the final and were so close to winning their second AFF Suzuki Cup title as well.
They gave their hearts out in that game after losing 2-0 to Thailand in the first leg. It could have been a fantastic story for Malaysia but in the end, it was written in the stars for Thailand to lose but to win that night, on the 2nd leg of the final at Bukit Jalil Stadium; in front of close to 100,000 outstanding fans.
On the bright side, there are a few things Malaysia can learn from their run in the tournament…..
1. There’s no need to look in the direction of the West
It’s fair to say that Thailand are the best team in Southeast Asia now. In fact, winning the AFF Suzuki Cup was not the most important thing for them. They had better visions for their team. They want Asia, they want the World. Under Kiatisuk Senamuang, Thailand won the 2013 SEA Games, finished fourth in the 2014 Asian Games and clinched 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup. It’s obvious that they are on the right path. There’s no need for Malaysia to look at England, Germany or Spain right now. Just look at your neighbour up north. They must have been doing something right to be playing so well and winning titles. Malaysia used to be better than Thailand but the War Elephants are a step ahead now. Not too far, Malaysia can still catch up but it has to be done very quickly. When teams do well, we praise the coach. But the players and most importantly, the coach, must be getting the necessary support from their FA to be doing well.
2. Local coaches can do it
It was great to see teams with their own local coaches making it into the final. Local coaches, if not better, are as good as foreign coaches. Never ever underestimate them. Their CV might not be as great but that does not mean they are not good coaches. Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia who had foreign coaches were predicted to do well but they didn’t live up to expectations in this tournament. It’s not his fault that Dollah Salleh was under pressure in this AFF Suzuki Cup. He had so little time but he was very close to winning it anyway. He deserves credits for that. After all, what better way to win something than to win it with an all-local team?
3. Class is permanent
After being ‘sidelined’ from the national team for years, Indra Putra was called up by Dollah Salleh. At 33, he might not think he would ever play for Malaysia again but Dollah knew he was still able to play at a higher level and he was right. Of course, according to Dollah, he didn’t have much of a choice but to call up older (more experienced) players instead of the younger ones because of the limited time he had to work with the squad. Calling up Indra Putra and Shukor Adan was probably a gamble but they did their very best. And they have both retired from international football.
4. Malaysian fans are the best
Some may argue that Indonesian fans are more fanatic than Malaysian fans. Some time ago, maybe they were, but Malaysian fans are as fanatic and as fantastic now. Their passion towards their national team is undisputed. They will go the extra mile to support the team and it’s simply amazing to see. As of now, the best thing about Malaysian football is the fans. They can be nasty with they criticisms but that’s part of football and despite that, they will still be there. The players must always acknowledge them, appreciate them. That’s not too much to ask.
Other posts by Aysha Ridzuan
