By Syauqi Jamil
SEPANG: When he promised the people of Selangor that he will be a Menteri Besar that ‘turun padang’ (going to ground to attend to people’s needs) Amiruddin Shari wasn’t kidding.
On Sept 14, during a work visit in Sepang, Amiruddin literally went down to the field, complete with boots and sports gear, to take on local kampung heroes in a friendly football match.
No stranger to the world of football, Amiruddin was a former manager of the Selangor FA football team. He led the team in two consecutive Malaysia Cup finals in 2015 and 2016. He also led Selangor to become the champion of the 2016 Sukma Games.
Sporting a yellow and red jersey, Amirudin handpicked his own selection of players in forming The MB’s Choice, consisting of civil servants from the Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) and Sepang Land and District Office.
The MB’s Choice took on Banghuris Soccer, a local youth team on the field of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Rawang for a one-hour friendly match.
The game started at about 5.45pm with Banghuris Soccer scoring their first goal merely a minute into the match, much to the amusement of their supporters of all ages, who were present during the match. The MB’s team ended up conceding four goals to none as the game closed at half time.
Just as the match was about to resume for the second half, they were joined by Amirudin, Tanjung Sepat asseblyman Borhan Aman Shah, Dengkil assemblyman Adhif Syan Abdullah and Deputy President of MPSepang, Muhammad Hafiz Shaari.
Despite several worthy tries from the MB’s Choice the score was 5-2 as the final whistle blew. The game ended at about 6.55pm.
At the end of the day, the main purpose of the friendly match was to act as a platform for the Selangor Menteri Besar to bond with the local community. Judging from the looks on their faces, it’s safe to say that the program was a success and everybody went home happy.
