Bleachers' Brew #269 Red Weekend

This appears in the Monday July 18, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Red Weekend

by rick olivares

I stood at one side of an enclosed section of the atrium of the Kuala Lumpur Pavilion when Liverpool Football Club co-captain Jaime Carragher made his way through the massive throng that surrounded the event area of the mall. “Hi,” said Carra as he extended his hand quickly in spite of the stringent security. I took it then feebly answered, Hi, Jaime.”

Minutes later, LFC striker Andy Carroll, a literal arm’s length away from me, turned around to gaze at the atrium decked in his team’s red colors and the thousands in attendance. He checked my media pass then said, “Thanks for coming over. Quite a welcome for us here. Fabulous. Just fabulous.”

During the team practice last Thursday evening, it was estimated that some 50,000 fans trooped over for the two-hour session. Fifty thousand people. That’s way more than the 45,000-plus capacity of Anfield, Liverpool’s homefield. “That was an incredible sight,” confessed Carroll. “I’ve never seen anything quite like that. It was overwhelming.”

With a bouncer twice my size (and to think I myself am big) in my way, the only thing we could do was shake hands and I snapped a photo away.

Welcome to my biennial pilgrimage to my favorite football club’s Asian tour. It’s one thing to be a part of the international media covering their matches but it’s altogether something else to be this close to a team I have followed since the days of my youth.

To actually have a conversation with team great Ian Rush, to also interview LFC assistant coach Steve Clark, and shake the hand of new midfielder Charlie Adam not to mention watching them play a quality game against the Southeast Asian champions Malaysia is a great experience. One I traded away for the annual Ateneo-La Salle UAAP match and no regrets about doing so.

Those who really know me will understand that despite my love for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, football is a passion that runs deeper. Besides, it is the first sport taught to us in Ateneo.

When the National Basketball League opened a few weeks ago in Malaysia, it was preceded by a press conference attending by a few members of the media. After the coaches and players of the four-team league gave their opening remarks, the floor was opened to questions. Only none were forthcoming. “Why the hell did we do this press conference,” muttered one American import in disgust.

As soon as the first two teams took to the floor for warm-ups, that was when the media sought out the players for one-on-one interviews causing the players to scratch their heads.

Welcome to Malaysia where football is king and basketball is a growing sport (they play in venues that seat anywhere from one to two thousand people and are an hour or two’s drive from Kuala Lumpur).

In stark contrast, before and after the friendly match between the Malaysian football national team and LFC, the press conferences drew some 200 media (including myself and good buddy Ryan Fenix as the sole Philippine contingent to the game) where the quality of the questions is on a different level. They were incisive, challenging, and revealed an understating of the game and its different facets.

To wit:

What combinations were you happy with and can you take them with you when training camp for the new English Premier League season begins?

Are you happy for the fans and the results of the games?

The wins aside, what do you think of you’re team’s defense? Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and even Sotiros Kyrgiakos gave a good account of themselves.

To LFC Assistant Coach Steve Clark: How would you assess the Malaysian team and how did Liverpool adjusted to the challenge presented?

Steve Clark: Malaysia worked hard. They did not concede the game to us and they were competitive with some strong, good, and honest challenges. They should be delighted to score three goals. The free kick (by Safee Sali that leveled the match at a goal apiece) was a fantastic goal and it shows that they have some very good talent. There’s a reason why they are the champions in Southeast Asia. You should be proud of your team.”

Okay, the latter question was mine.

The one thing I learned in having covered so many international events is that you have to be aggressive in hunting down stories and imaginative in looking for opportunities.

Clients remember those who ask very good questions (because inquiries such as that demand very good answers rather than monosyllabic ones) and during the press con by Standard Chartered, I not only opened up the Q&A about how sponsoring LFC has been good for business for the British bank. 

Said Tiew Siew Chuen, Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia during the card launch last Friday at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur, “It is something that we hope to capitalize on. There are at least 2 million registered Liverpool fans in Malaysia and we hope to tap all of them.”

Thus, even with my media pass still under process, the Standard Chartered officials hustled me inside the LFC events. Talk about opportunity right here! I got to meet club officials as well who I discussed a possible visit to Anfield in the near future.

One of the most revealing things about the weekend was seeing the ovation that national head coach Krishansamy Rajagopal got from the 87,411 fans (that goes up to 100,200 for standing room capacity) that packed the Bukit Jalil Stadium. Rajagopal is a national hero not just for being one of the national side’s most accomplished strikers during his heyday but also for being leading local side Harimau Muda A to the Malaysian Premier League title but also leading the Under-23 to a Southeast Asian Games crown in 2009 and the AFF Suzuki Cup championship in 2010.

Anfield seats only 45,276 people maximum. When the Reds visit archrival Manchester United at Old Trafford, their Red Devils’ arena seats a maximum of 75,957. So the Bukit Jalil Stadium audience could possibly be the biggest crowd they will play to this season.

“I think we just got ourselves another invite,” quipped Clark about the massive response the English team got from fans (including hordes from Singapore, Indonesia, and a handful from the Philippines).

The game’s final result ended in a 6-3 win for the English team. But it was a thoroughly entertaining match that ended in lopsided fashion only after Malaysia conceded two stoppage time goals to Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt.

And the icing on the cake?

Joining the 80,000-plus in singing the Liverpool anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Thinking about it makes the hair on my back stand up. And to say it was a memorable red weekend is a massive understatement. For four days in July, Kuala Lumpur was the Anfield of the Far East.


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This was taken by an LFC during the Reds' training session Thursday evening. The Pinoy LFC fans also witnessed this. On the way out of Bukit Jalil following Saturday evening's match, there was another unlucky Red Devils fan in our train (as in right in front of us). He got heckled good-naturedly. I just patted him on his shoulder as he stayed quiet and didn't answer any of the catcalls and jokes.

During the train ride to Bukit Jalil Stadium.