Last night (January 10), the Harimau Malaya and its fans travelled to Thailand for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 second leg semifinal match between Malaysia and Thailand.
Although we went into the match with a 1 goal lead and a victory which was secured last Saturday (January 7), last night’s match did not go our way as the hosts trashed the Harimau Malaya 3-0 to secure their place in the final.
Despite the result, the Malaysian fans who travelled to Thailand’s Thammasat Stadium did not appear to be low on spirits as they exchanged a beautiful interaction with the Thailand national football team.
In various videos which have gone viral on social media, Malaysian fans applauded the opposing team and sang ‘Sawadeekap Thailand’ out loud after the match, much to the surprise of their opposition.
Thailand’s national football team returned the show of respect by applauding the Malaysian fans, smiling, dancing and singing along to their chants.
However that was not all! In another video shared of the scenes after the match, Thailand’s national football team captain Theerathon Bunmathan was seen telling local fans to stay calm and not provoke Malaysian fans.
This also drew applause from the Malaysian fans who shared their appreciation towards the opposition captain for showing them respect.
Meanwhile, the comments section of the videos have also drawn praise from Malaysian, Thai and international fans who praised both the Malaysian fans as well as the Thailand national football team for showing each other respect, despite the result.
“First time I’ve seen away fans show such sporting spirit. Probably the first time in the world!”
Some Malaysian netizens even praised the opposition and wished them good luck in the upcoming final where Thailand will face Vietnam.
Watch the videos below:
?? Malaysia Fans ? Thailand Players ??#AFFMitsubishiElectricCup2022 |#BeTheGameChanger pic.twitter.com/NiBWViHV4d
— AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup (@affmecup) January 10, 2023
Kapten Thai Theerathon minta penyokong Thailand bertenang dan tidak buat sebarang provokasi kepada penyokong Malaysia pic.twitter.com/dQ58Uq8GVb
— Pemain Ke-12 (@pemain_ke_12) January 10, 2023
Kudos to our local fans as well as Thailand’s national team for showing each other respect. We hope to see more of such interactions in other sports and competitions in the future!
Also read: WATCH: M’sian Fan Condemned For Throwing Cup Full of Liquid at Other Fans During Football Match
