FOOTBALL FEVER
Story by Chan Lilian
FOOTBALL fever is sweeping the world and Penang is not spared.
To mark the World Cup in Brazil, football matches are being organised by various groups including the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) for the people.
The Penang state leaders, led by the Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Abdul Rashid Hasnon, also took on the Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) members for a friendly match at the Penang City Stadium on June 23.
“The friendly match against MAH ended in a 1-1 draw. However, MAH won 4-3 after a penalty shootout,”said exco member Law Heng Kiang who was one of the better players alongside Rashid.
The same morning, the Air Itam JKKK also held a sports carnival for the people. The Wong Hon Wai Cup was won by the P. Ramlee B group.
Wong, who is Air Itam assemblymember, was unable to attend but in his place Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh Deo took time to be with the people from morning till evening.
“We have a few Messis in the making,”Ramkarpal joked while referring to Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
When asked about his favourite team in the World Cup, Ramkarpal said: “I am a diehard Argentina fan since I was a kid. However, Holland are playing well and so are Germany and can be considered as favourites. The dark horses like Ivory Coast are good too. It is always nice to see the lesser known teams doing well as it gives confidence to other nations.”
At the beginning of the World Cup, members of the press had asked Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who he favoured to win the Cup.
He said, “Traditionally I support Brazil but I am attracted to the game played by the teams from Spain and Argentina.”
Buletin Mutiara did a quick survey of other state leaders and discovered that Rashid favoured England but since their exit, he now puts his hopes on Brazil. Meanwhile, exco member Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said he picks Germany. As for exco member Dr. Afif Bahardin, he said, “I support Germany since World Cup 2006 because the team is disciplined, has many younger players and their team work is exemplary.”