Thể Thao 247 - Only a very small number of Malaysian fans cheered for the Malaysian home team in the opening friendly match of the 2019 Airmarine Cup tournament.
Entering FIFA day in March 2019 (March 19-26), the Malaysian Football Federation decided to host the four team competition in the AIRMARINE Cup 2019. Malaysia, Oman, Afghanistan and Singapore will join the inaugural friendly tournament held from 20 March to 23 March at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
However, the famous Malaysian fan club Ultras Malaya, has called for boycotting the tournament. This organization’s reason is due to the Malaysian Football Federation's profiteering with exorbitant ticket price. The entry ticket price is 35 Malaysia Riggit which is equivalent to about 200,000 VND for this friendly tournament.
Malaysian captain Zaquan was very sad in the news conference. He called on Malaysian Ultras fan clubs Malaysian Ultras to buy tickets to support their home team: "If we are the home team and play in the empty stadium, then the home team has no meaning at all. If there is no home team’s audience, there is no motivation for the players to come to the field to fight ”.
Speaking of the tournament, representatives of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that this was a preparation for the World Cup qualifiers: "This tournament could be a continuation for Malaysia's wonderful national performance in recent times." , specifically in the AFF Suzuki Cup last year and they can prove their importance in FAM's efforts in implementing a comprehensive development plan to turn Malaysia into a prestigious football nation. ”
However, after observing the match against Singapore, it seems that the Malaysian captain's call is not effective when very few audiences are present on the field. Fans have totally boycotted the tournament because of the expensive ticket price.