Gomo, Chicken and the Malaysia Cup

The gates supposed to be opened at 4pm. At 5.30 pm, the rain began to pour on the agitated crowd. Thousands of screaming supporters shooked the gates, demanding to be allowed to enter the stadium for shelter. Some with children on their shoulders and some making almost anything that was within reach to cover their heads from the pouring rain. Scene was akin to refugees seeking shelter in a foreign soil, away from the murderous soldiers chasing from behind. Small group of youngsters began climbing over the fence, risk tearing their butt-hole from the sharp edges of the fence. Malaysian’s football has never seen anything like this or at least a crowd this huge in a long time. Tickets were sold out days before the game and amazingly made profit for the first time in Malaysia’s cup history. Throngs of fans rushed into the stadium the moment the gate was opened at about 6 pm, scampering looking for seats with the best view.

It took only half an hour for the stadium to be ¾ filled with supporters in red. Mexican waves began rolling from end to end and the sound of the rebana ubi drums filled the air. The echo of ‘Gomo Kelate Gomo’ reverberated around the stadium, retaliating against the jeering yellow-and-black fans of Hoben Jang Hoben. At one corner, an old man with batik headband was holding what appeared to be a live rooster in his arms. It wasn’t clear if that poor rooster was intended for some voodoo ritual for the game or as lucky charm for the East Coast team. Down at the lobby, a man in ¾ pant were leading the Maghrib prayers, followed by ladies covered in white clothes forming a concave line behind the men. Meanwhile, others were seen buying packets of drinks to clean themselves for prayers while cursing on the amazing stadium that had toilets with no water. A group of black fans of unknown origin, one with a drum strapped to his body, passed by chanting the Kelantan slogan in African accent.

Back on the pitch, the security personnel strode to take position on the track around the stadium. As the players marched in, the crowd erupted and strings of fireworks were flung into the pitch and towards the FRU-men, standing as if sitting ducks. Time for the police (even their dogs) to practice what they’ve been trained for - dodging missiles attack. Except in this case – it wasn’t bullets, but anything from fireworks, water bottles, half-eaten burgers to rubber slippers. Smoke from the exploding fireworks sets the pitch into a perfect battlefield. As soon as the match kicked off, dangerous tackles from both teams were flying in from everywhere, due to wet pitch condition. The rain showed no sign of letting up. Then, came the first goal for Negeri Sembilan. The fans in red went silent but only for a few seconds before they started pushing the Kelantan players to reorganize. But Kelantan went into half-time trailing by one goal. As it entered the second half, defensive error lead to the second goal. The fans became rowdy. Then came the third goal from the penalty – the final blow. Catching up from 3-nil down was almost impossible (at least in Malaysian football). And the Red Warriors did not seem that they can pull this through. Afraid that situation in the stadium can only get worse, the crowd began packing up and gradually left the stadium.

It was a painful defeat for some, especially those who came from far, leaving behind their loved ones and their elders to face the worsening flood in hometown. It came out in the news that an old lady was whining about her children that had left her alone to be in KL for the Kelantan-Negeri Sembilan match, leaving her to brave the flood by herself. But, no news about the chicken though. Hope it won’t end up as chicken curry too soon and live long enough to come back next year to witness history in the making.