Vociferous crowd: Malaysian fans cheering during the AFF Mitsubishi Cup Group B match against Singapore at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
PETALING JAYA: Not having a capacity crowd at the stadium is a disappointment but the Harimau Malaya are still hopeful of roaring support from the fans when they take on Thailand in the AFF Mitsubishi Cup semi-final first leg at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed yesterday that all 59,000 tickets for the game had been sold and that no additional tickets, whether online or over the counter, would be available.
21,000 seats at the stadium had to be “vacated” as they would be obstructed by the structure of the Jay Chou concert stage which was in the process of being installed.
The concert, which is part of the renowned Taiwanese singer’s Carnival World Tour, is set to be held at the National Stadium on Jan 15.
Malaysia defender Dominic Tan said it would have been nice to have an 80,000 crowd but hoped that the 59,000 coming will liven up the atmosphere.
Mandopop king: Jay Chou’s concert will be held on Jan 15.
“It would be nice to have a full crowd at the stadium. But the reduced number of fans, I’m sure, will still be loud against Thailand,” he said.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the situation could not be changed as the Jay Chou World Tour concert stadium booking was already made on March 13, 2019, while the booking for the Mitsubishi Cup match was done on Aug 18 last year.
She tweeted: “The concert needs 14 days to set up the stage by 500 crew + 185 international crew, 45 heavy machinery, 200 speakers & 800 lights. They have delayed 2.5 days for the AFF space.”
Meanwhile, Dominic is looking forward to facing some of his former Police Tero teammates whom he played with in the Thai League, like goalkeeper Kittipong Phuthawchueak and defender Chalermsak Aukkee.
“I know their quality, and it’s going to be a tough match against Thailand over two legs,’’ he said.
