Malaysian Supporters Spark Outrage For Chanting "Singapore Anjing" At SEA Games Match
Offensive insult... or football "tradition"?
By Samantha Khor — 21 Aug 2017, 03:08 PM
Some Malaysian football fans have drawn criticism from netizens after a short clip of them singing and chanting an anthem containing the words "Singapore anjing (dog)" at the 2017 SEA Games went viral
In the 20-second clip, a massive legion of fans were singing en masse, chanting "Singapore anjing" near the end of the video. One spectator also appeared to have thrown up an obscene finger gesture at the end of the clip. The massive legion of fans in the video are believed to be the Ultras Malaya, a group of hardcore fans of the Malaysian national football team.
According to several posts on Facebook, the song's lyrics are as such:
"Ultras Malaya ekor harimau Malaya! Woot woot
Ultras Malaya ekor harimau Malaya
Kami turun ke Shah Alam,
Satu jiwa sokong Malaysia,
Singapore Anjing dibunuh saja."
The video was taken on Wednesday, 16 August during a group stage football match between Malaysia and Singapore at the Shah Alam Stadium. Harimau Malaya clinched a 2-1 win over the Lions, and has since qualified for the semi-finals.
Singaporeans are understandably upset, saying that the fans are displaying a lack of sportsmanship and morals despite their team winning the game
A number of Malaysians also shared the sentiment, with some apologising for the incident "on behalf of Malaysians"
Amidst the sea of criticism, some defended the fans' antics, explaining that "taunting and heckling" is "part and parcel of football tradition" when it comes to rivalry among football teams
In a lengthy Facebook post, budding young politician Adrian Lim explained that the Ultras Malaya go all out when it comes to supporting the national team, including writing new songs and rehearsing them regularly in addition to bringing drums to the stadium to cheer on the team.
"This is not called insulting the opponents. It is pure football rivalry," he wrote, adding that it's "tradition" even in major football leagues like the English Premier League (EPL) and La Liga.
You can read his entire post here:
However, some noted that rude taunts and "English football hooliganism" does not have a place in international football meets such as the SEA Games
The "Singapore Itu Anjing" song/chant has been around since the early 2010s, most notably when it was recorded at the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup
