PM Anwar congratulates ASEAN-All Stars on victory over Manchester Utd
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated the ASEAN All-Stars on their victory over English Premier League giants Manchester United in a friendly match last night.
'Aduh! Man United failed to win another trophy. Looks like you're in for another tough season, hope you don't drop to the Championship.
Congrats ASEAN All-Stars, you were solid!!' the Prime Minister wrote in a Facebook post today.
The match, held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium as part of the Maybank Championship Challenge, saw ASEAN All-Stars defeat Manchester United 1–0 with a 72nd-minute goal by Maung Maung Lwin.
The game, which drew over 72,500 local and overseas fans, was also attended by Anwar, who made time for it in his packed schedule.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
'No regrets': Man United winger Amad explains obscene gesture to Malaysian fans during friendly match in Bukit Jalil
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP): Manchester United winger Amad says he doesn't regret making what appeared to be an obscene gesture toward some fans in Malaysia because his mother allegedly had been insulted. Footage shared widely on social media appeared to show the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international raising his middle finger while outside a hotel with his teammates in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week. "I have respect for people but not for the one who insults my mom,' Amad wrote on X. "I shouldn't have reacted like that but I don't regret what I did. We had a great time in Malaysia with good people.' United did not respond to a request for comment. The team's postseason Asia tour had already got off to a bad start when United lost its friendly against a South-East Asian (Asean) All-Star team 1-0 in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Some fans booed in response. Even Malaysian Prime Minister datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was disappointed, suggesting United could be relegated after watching the team lose, despite the fact it was probably affected by jet lag. "Ouch. Man United failed to win another trophy,' said Anwar, one of 72,500 fans at Bukit Jalil Stadium in the Malaysian capital, wrote on social media in a post translated from Malay. "Looks like you're in for another tough season, hope you don't drop to the Championship,' he added, referring to England's second tier. United then travelled to Hong Kong for another friendly. "We were not really focused in the last game, and everybody can feel it,' United manager Ruben Amorim said Thursday. "We just want to turn the page and improve in the next season.' On Sunday, United finished 15th in the Premier League, its lowest-ever ranking in the competition, just four days after a loss in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur meant its European season ended without a trophy. - AP
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Football unites after car ploughs into Liverpool victory parade
Fans clear out as police respond to incident near Liver Building during Liverpool's Premier League trophy parade. (AP pic) LIVERPOOL : The football world united today after 27 people were hospitalised when a car ploughed into a packed crowd celebrating Liverpool winning the Premier League. Police ruled out terrorism following the incident in the city on Monday as thousands turned out in torrential rain to see Liverpool's victory parade. Four children were among those hurt, one seriously, after a dark-coloured vehicle swerved through the crowd minutes after the players' open-top bus passed by. Police arrested a 53-year-old white British man. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,' Liverpool posted on X, where several Premier League clubs offered their support. Great rivals Manchester United wrote 'Our thoughts are with LFC and the city of Liverpool after today's awful incident.' On the blue side of Merseyside, Everton said 'Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city.' Deposed Premier League champions Manchester City wrote 'The thoughts of everyone at Manchester City are with those injured or affected by the incident at Liverpool's title-winning parade earlier today.' Liverpool's former captain Steven Gerrard posted an image on Instagram of the city with a red heart. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote on X 'Devastating end to the day… just pray everyone is ok.' FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered 'thoughts and prayers to all those affected'. 'Football stands together with Liverpool FC and all fans of the club following the horrific incident that has taken place during the trophy parade in the city,' he said in a statement. Images shared on social media showed the car being brought to a halt and swarmed by angry fans, who broke the back windows as police sought to hold them back. Four people, including a child, were trapped under the car. The Premier League said on X that it was 'shocked by the appalling events'. 'Our heartfelt thoughts go out to all those injured and affected,' it said. 'We have been in contact with Liverpool FC and have offered our full support following this serious incident.'
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Man Utd stretch loyalty of 'numbed' Chinese fans to the limit
HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: "We've been numbed by performances over the past few seasons." Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test. As an illustration of United's fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for today's friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city's representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon. Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent. United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim's bedraggled men. "Every season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery," said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organiser of a United fans' association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China. Amorim's side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralising campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy. "Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch," chief executive Omar Berrada said. This week's Asia visit will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for United, the BBC reported. China has the world's second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market. United's finances are under scrutiny with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe implementing steep cuts since buying a minority stake just over a year ago. The club recently announced a further 200 redundancies were planned after 250 jobs were cut last year. Ratcliffe claimed in March that the Red Devils would have "run out of money at Christmas" otherwise. From Kuala Lumpur, where it was 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at kickoff on Wednesday, it is a four-hour flight to a similarly sticky Hong Kong. July friendlies in the city between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool and AC Milan, sold out within hours of going on general sale. No such luck for United for their exhibition match with the Hong Kong team, and with a day until kickoff they face the ignominy of playing in front of empty seats. The 39-year-old fan Yan said that the United supporters club in Shenzhen has about 2,000 members. That number has hardly grown in the past few years, he said. Older fans make up the vast majority of members. "I can't think of any words we can use to attract new fans because the team has a bad record and no standout stars to recruit younger fans," said Yan. He Zhiyi, a United fan for more than a decade, is flying to Hong Kong from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. She had hoped to see the squad parade the Europa League trophy, but Amorim's side lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the final. With it went United's hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, which would have brought badly needed revenue, prestige and pulling power. "The team is all over the place -- players, coaches and management are not moving in one direction," said the 32-year-old He, a football content creator and author. "It feels like the team is killing the enthusiasm of the fans, as if the romance can't be sustained anymore." Zhang Chongqian, also from Chengdu, said United's "spirit and traditions" have been lost. "In recent years, our fans (in China) gradually stopped watching Manchester United or even football," the 38-year-old lifelong supporter said. Zhang will not join those fans abandoning his side, even after the poorest season in the club's recent history. "Manchester United have been experiencing a period of sinking," he said. "But there are still so many fans who will never give up on them."
