Raja Azlan Shah, the head coach of the Malaysian Under-16 team, has told his boys not to be daunted or get fearful of the expected 26,000 fans who will be ‘singing’ or ‘chanting’ when they take on Indonesia tonight in the semi-finals of the AFF U16 Championship 2018.
He said that instead, the boys should make it feel as though the fans are actually serenading them to play the best football they can play.
“In spite of the environment that will be present tonight where we all know that the Indonesian fans are very good singers and where they have always been very beautiful and artistic with the lyrics they used,” said Raja Azlan.
“But I think that the players should make it as though the fans are singing for them, not at them.”
While concerns were raised about fans behaviour following previous meetings between both countries, Raja Azlan said that the team should give trust to the security which has been provided.
It is expected that the Local Organsing Committee will provide more than 1,000 police personnel including private security for the matches today.
“We should put trust in the security which has been provided. We are there to play football and we should not worry about other things outside the pitch,” added Raja Azlan.
“The players should realised that this is a great opportunity for them to savour the experience of playing in a stadium with this many people. It is a privilege and an honour especially when it is considered; this is only an U16 tournament.
“Nowhere else in the world can we get an experience like this.”
