In the shadows

It seems that after Malaysia won the SEA Games football final - everything else during the Games didn't matter

No one cared about the other gold medals won. Why? The football medal was the mother of all gold medals.

While many 'worship' the team, it must be noted that the 11 men on the field was merely another contributor to Malaysia's gold medal tally. Btw anyone took interest in medals tally after 'that' gold medal? Nope! I for one didn't hear anyone talk about it.

 Here's the medal tally 

I feel for the other 58 medals contributor. Suddenly their achievement didn't matter to most outside their respective sports. 

One athlete contacted me asking if it was true the footballers were getting RM30,000 each for their effort, while the rest are only getting RM 10,000.

Yes, they are getting RM30,000 for each member of the team. However, it is from the FA of Malaysia itself and not the Government or National Sport Council (NSC). I hope the players don't get spoilt though.

I long for the day Malaysian football reach greater heights. The SEA Games to me is just a stepping stone - not goal itself. Being best in the region should be nothing great - considering we have more resources than most countries in South East Asia. 

Because our football has been in the dumps before 2009, this SEA Games is a big achievement. 

Because so the plight of our 4x400m relay team is quickly forgotten. I hope sincerely hope the culprits for their medal bungle are made known.

Pic taken from NST

Food for thought : Why is that winning the football gold medal in Olympics seen as just another gold medal and not much hype? but for the SEA Games it is everything.