Big show’s on – it’s a double-header
As the suspense in Malaysia rises to a crescendo with polling day today, excitement about the World Cup Finals has hit town too. And the two seem to have much in common.
IT’S going to be an exciting fight, a clash of big names. The current top guns – whose position is due to a rather controversial win – are not sure if they can be successful again.
Then there is a man chasing a long elusive dream for the pinnacle, and another – an old veteran – who is driven by a passionate desire to stay relevant.
But never reckon without the youngsters; they could make all the difference.
This weekend, Malaysian coffee shops and mamak stalls are going to be full, and all talk is likely to be about the contest. Make that contests.
The World Cup and the 15th General Election will turn this into a weekend to savour.
It’s amazing how the World Cup Finals in Qatar and the election in Malaysia seem to blend seamlessly into one another.
The election is today and the greatest show on Earth begins tomorrow. The two, curiously, have much in common.
France are the reigning world champions, but they go into this battle wounded. There is no Paul Pogba, no N’golo Kante, and their run in the European Nations League has been poor, but they are still formidable.
They won the title in 2018 thanks to the first-ever own goal in a World Cup final, another goal from a free kick given after what was widely seen as a dive, and a penalty that was roundly criticised.
It was controversial, to say the least, but no one can dispute the victory. It was all within the rules, and the referee’s decision is final. It cannot be questioned.
It’s a bit like how the outgoing Malaysian government, helmed by Barisan Nasional, came to power. Barisan is wounded now, what with the infighting and dropping of warlords as candidates.
Its rise to power was controversial too.
The Pakatan Harapan government elected in 2018 was toppled in the Sheraton Move by a Bersatu team led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin, in turn, was toppled by Barisan with Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob becoming the Prime Minister.
Yet, it was all by the rules. And the Yang di-pertuan Agong had consented. Indisputable.
Now, they all get another go at the cherry.
In Qatar this time around, Argentina, Brazil and France, of course, are the favourites. But the World Cup is always unpredictable. There will always be outsiders coming in to spoil the dreams of the big boys.
It could happen here too. In Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu, many have swapped camps – from Barisan to PAS and vice versa – and the likes of Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin and even PKR reject Tian Chua could spring some surprises and dent hopes.
This World Cup will also be about the hopes of one great player, Lionel Messi. Many football purists, including yours truly, would like to see Argentina lift the Cup, at least so that Messi – probably the finest player the world has ever seen – gets to lift that golden trophy.
It would be a fitting tribute to a man who has given so much pleasure to the footballing world but has never been able to win the World Cup, coming so close in Brazil 2014, only to lose 0-1 to Germany after a goal deep into extra time.
In Malaysia too, there is a nearly man. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has had a lifelong dream of reaching the pinnacle, something he has been trying to do since the 1990s, only to fail every time.
He came very close too, just two years ago, only to be cut down by his former mentor-turnedperennial nemesis Dr Mahathir.
Will he get his chance this time? Like Messi, this could be his last shot at the big one. If he fails, he will just have to leave the scene knowing that it was never meant to be.
Then there’s Ronaldo, the ageing Portuguese star who believes he is as youthful as anyone else and is still the best around. He thinks he can lead his country to an impossible dream, one that was not even achieved by the Golden Generation of Luis Figo and Co.
Sounds familiar? Yes, that could well describe Anwar’s nemesis who is also refusing to go away.
Dr Mahathir remains adamant that he is the man the country needs although many have told him his days are over – or at least numbered.
He leads a ragtag outfit, planning to be a spoiler and hoping against hope that he will somehow reach the top again.
I think it’s a pipe dream – for Dr Mahathir at least. Ronaldo, though, may have an outside chance of making some headway.
And then there are the kids. The World Cup is always a springboard to glory for the youth.
There is Ansu Fati, the 20-yearold Barcelona starlet who will be playing for Spain, Germany’s 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko, Xavi Zimons of the Netherlands who is just 19, Brazil’s Gabriel Martinelli, now 21, and many more.
Like Ronaldo, who made his World Cup debut in 2006 at 22, and Messi who lit up the same tournament at 19 by scoring in his debut, these youngsters will be out to make their mark.
In Malaysia, though, the youngsters are likely to be more decisive. The Undi18 law, which allows those aged 18 to automatically get the right to vote, has upended the odds.
Now, it’s anyone’s game. But we will only know on the 19th.
The election results should be in by late Nov 19 – that’s tonight – while the World Cup’s final whistle will be blown at about 1am tomorrow.
Let the excitement begin!