KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pix) hopes to see Malaysia winning by a goal or two in their AFF Suzuki Cup final, first-leg match against Vietnam at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil tonight.
“Malaysia to win by a goal or two,“ he said when asked during an interview on TV talk show Bicara Khas on RTM1.
“I hope Malaysia win, maybe by one or two goals will be enough,“ he added.
The highly-anticipated showdown will start at 8.45pm today.
The prime minister was quick to point out that sports had always been a unifying factor among Malaysians of various races, religions and backgrounds.
He cited the exploits of national badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei as an example, saying that every time the shuttler won, it would become the pride of every Malaysian.
“In Malaysia, we have different races, so surely there will be differences between them. But in sports, we are always together. So, what we want to see is a victory for Malaysia.
“That’s why sports is the best event for us. That’s when we forget our ancestry or ethnic group and realise we are Team Malaysia and we Malaysians want Team Malaysia to win,“ said Mahathir.
When Mahathir met the Harimau Malaya squad at Perdana Putra on Dec 7, he was quoted as saying “Don’t let me and the country down”, apart from adding that he expected to watch tonight’s match at the stadium.
The second leg of the final against the Golden Dragons will be held at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday. — <i>Bernama</i>
