National Pride or Despicable Action? #9

In the recent World Cup Qualifier match between Singapore and Malaysia, it was caught on video footage that a Malaysian had shone a green laser on the Singapore keeper during the match. This action by the Malaysian fan was definitely an inappropriate and wrong one, but can we say that his actions were entirely wrong?

What he is doing here also shows his national pride for his country, Malaysia. In doing this, he worries not that he would be chased out of the stadium, or even face undesirable consequences in his country, but all he was doing was to give Malaysia a chance to win and enter the next round of the World Cup qualifying match. We can see how much he wants Malaysia to win, his urge for Malaysia to gain the wonderful opportunity to enter the World Cup and bring pride to its nation. Of course, I am not approving about his actions, but thinking about it this way, it does show a sense of unity and love Malaysians have for their country, no?

However, from the viewpoint of a typical Singaporean, their actions were definitely uncalled for and absolutely unnecessary. This action, not only brings about an unfair advantage, but would also give Singapore a negative impression on Malaysians. In the society we're in today, people tend to over generalize and stereotype very often. By shining laser on the Singapore's keeper, this despicable action would make most Singaporeans stereotype that Malaysians are cunning and would do anything to win. When matter comes to worse, they might even say that MALAYS are the sly one, which would affect the racial harmony we have in Singapore today.

Overall, I feel that this act by the Malaysian fan is more of a despicable action then an act of national pride. As this case had happened before in Malaysia's match against Indonesia, it was definitely not an accident. In comparison to resorting to this underhand means to win, the Malaysian fans should just allow the Malaysian players to prove their ability in a fair match of football to see who is truly better, who can make it pass the qualifying rounds. I'm sure that even if the Singapore keeper became affected and blinded by this laser to the extend where Malaysia managed to score a goal and win, none of the Malaysian fans would be happy. Thus, I believe football matches should be played by the players and only the players itself, as the fans present in the stadium are only there to provide moral and not physical support.