KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has firmly stated that hooliganism and violence have no place in sports, especially football.
He stressed that sports should unite Malaysians rather than divide them through unruly behaviour.
“Everyone supports their team or their state or their province, but that does not allow them to create chaos and tolerate hooliganism. So we’ll make a difference. Don’t import that culture of hooliganism in sports as you read and see and watch on television from the experience of other countries,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony of Olympic House.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh was also present at the event.
Anwar acknowledged that passion in sports is natural but should not justify actions against sportsmanship.
“People cry when they win and they cry when they lose. You know, which means you cannot deny the passion. But it does not warrant them to take actions which run contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship,” he added.
He called for greater tolerance, stating that intolerance contradicts the unifying nature of sports.
Anwar highlighted how sportsmanship uniquely bridges racial divides in Malaysia, unlike politics.
“There’s no language in politics for sportsmanship. Politics is where you kill one another — I mean, not literally, hopefully. But only in sports, not in culture, not in the arts, not in economic rivalry,” he said.
He emphasised that sportsmanship means striving to win while accepting defeat gracefully.
Reflecting on Malaysia’s history, Anwar recalled how sports like football and badminton united people during tense times.
“It doesn’t matter whether he’s Malay, Chinese, Dayak or Indian — we consider them all Malaysian. And that’s what I feel we need to promote. But of course, we also need to excel,” he said.
Jokingly, he added that Malaysia expects at least one Olympic gold medal under Minister Hannah Yeoh and OCM President Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria.
Sharing advice for his grandchildren, Anwar stressed the importance of accepting losses with dignity.
“I said, I told them that’s not the spirit. The spirit of course, is to win, but the sportsmanship, the term sportsmanship is such a value-laden term. You do try your best, you try and excel, but you accept it (loss) in a sportsman’s fashion,” he concluded. - Bernama
