Sivan at the FIFA under-17 World Cup tournament in Indonesia where he supported Argentina.
FOOTBALL fan Sivan John will celebrate his 44th birthday by travelling 5,916km to support Malaysia’s national team at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
The Klang native, who works in the insurance industry, said he was looking forward to motivating Harimau Malaya as they make their return to Asian football’s top tournament after 17 years.
The 24-team competition started over the weekend in the group stages, with the final set for Feb 10.
“I will be travelling on my own to Qatar on Jan 23, which is my birthday, to support Malaysia in our final group game against one of Asia’s best, South Korea.
“I am all pumped up for it. I’ve got the air tickets and accommodation sorted out as well as the ticket to the match,” said Sivan, adding that he spent RM6,000 on his trip to the Middle Eastern country.
Sivan said it would be his first time travelling abroad to support the Malaysian football team.
Last December, he went to the FIFA under-17 World Cup tournament in Indonesia to cheer on Argentina.
Malaysia last made an appearance in the AFC Asian Cup in 2007, when it played host alongside Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
The last time the team had qualified on merit was back in 1980.
In this year’s event, Malaysia has been drawn into Group E together with South Korea, Bahrain and Jordan.
Asked why he had chosen to catch the Malaysia versus South Korea match in Qatar, Sivan said that Harimau Malaya were also up against Jordan and Bahrain, two good teams, in the same group.
“But it is the match against the South Koreans that I really want to watch.
“Back in 1980, we beat South Korea to qualify for the Olympics and hopefully, history will repeat itself.”
Sivan said even though it would be a tall order for Malaysia to pull a surprise against South Korea, he had confidence in the national team.
South Korea, he said, had players plying their trade in top European clubs and would be one of the favourites in the tournament while Malaysia was going to be “the dark horse”.
“But in football, anything can happen and everyone loves an upset.
“I see that our national team have been getting positive results in the run-up to the tournament, and the players and coaches enjoy a good relationship.
“I am quietly optimistic about our players getting good results in their matches and qualifying for the knockout stage,” added Sivan.
