Vendors hoping to score again after Man Utd windfall

Free Malaysia Today

03-06-2025

A stall selling Manchester United memorabilia outside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on the evening of the United-Asean All-Stars match.
KUALA LUMPUR : On a normal day, Nur Maisarah Othman considers it a good haul if she earns RM500 selling turmeric fried chicken with rice from her humble food truck.
But she is giddy with excitement whenever a major foreign artiste or international football team is in town, as that means the possibility of raking in RM10,000 in a single evening.
Nur Maisarah Othman.
'One day operating outside this stadium is almost the same as operating elsewhere for a whole month,' said Maisarah, who was busy attending to customers when met outside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here on June 28.
Some 72,550 fans converged on the national stadium that day to watch English football giants Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars, which ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Premier League club.
While United fans may have been let down by their team's display, many petty traders outside the stadium were grateful for the windfall brought by the tens of thousands who came to watch.
Amirul Haziq Darus, who operates a small business selling United memorabilia, told FMT his tiny stall was overrun by fans of the 19-time English champions.
Amirul Haziq Darus.
'At regular events, we can make RM40,000 in a week, but when there's an event like this with a capacity of over 70,000 fans, we can earn that amount in just a day,' he said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
For a group of supporters who flew all the way from Indonesia to watch their beloved club in action, the stalls set up around the stadium provided a feast of Malaysia's diverse gastronomical fare.
'Nasi lemak, nasi kandar, teh tarik… we plan to try it all,' said one of them.
Keropok lekor seller Lynn Mohamad said this was why she would grab the opportunity of opening a stall at such major events whenever organisers offer spots.
Maya Mohammad Mazlan.
'These are economic opportunities. The government should hold more such mega events to help us,' she said.
Maya Mazlan, who only recently started selling her self-brewed coffee, did not expect her brand, Janecof, to grow in popularity so quickly after becoming a vendor at several events.
'On a normal day, it would be a tall order to earn RM3,000. But by early this afternoon, we had already earned more than RM1,000,' she said when met before the game.
Abu Sofian Yaacob.
Economist Abu Sofian Yaacob of Universiti Malaysia Kelantan said the government should continue to support event organisers by offering incentives, easing the process of acquiring permits, and upgrading venues to attract even more mega events.
He said a strategic partnership with event organisers would allow the ecosystem to grow, leading to an economic spillover for petty traders and food vendors.