KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — A couple weekends ago, I stood on the sidelines and watched as the last of 10 penalties sailed skyward, cementing Selangor Chinese Recreation Club (SCRC) as champions of the 71st edition of the Malaysian Chinese Football Association (MCFA) Cup. Pandemonium ensued; lots of screaming, running, and sweaty hugs were exchanged between my teammates and me. There was elation and catharsis in equal measure, and for most of the team, this vanquished painful memories of losing last year’s final to Kedah in dramatic fashion.
I’ve played with Selangor Chinese since I was 18, and won my first tournament with them on this very same ground in Kampar six years ago in the U21 version of the MCFA Cup. And yet, when asked to explain “this football thing” that required me to travel to Melaka, Johor and this year Perak, once a year, I always end up feeling a bit sheepish, maybe even slightly ashamed. I once tried to explain my involvement in the tournament to a recruiter for college “soccer” in the US, and I can’t say I disagreed with the look of confusion and mild contempt on his face.
He’s not the only one. To talk about being part of the MCFA tournament is to acknowledge that I benefit from an explicitly race-based organisation - even after taking into consideration that this tournament is one of the oldest in Malaysia, with a storied history that predates the nation’s independence. This win brings Selangor to 14 titles, just one behind Penang, which .