We just played for our country...

Today there are not many Malaysians, if any at all, that can evoke the same passion, love and reverence that these four can, once, not to long ago:

We did not see them as a Chinese, a Bhai, Indian or a Malay....they were all us. 

And if the Towkay once again worked his magic on the field....Malaysians everywhere joined in giving our "thumbs up" to the towkay. 

If Santokh was there with the Towkay to ensure that our defence was again impenetrable ...we only tell ourselves..."that is his job" and again rejoice that the Bhai again, as always, did not failed us. 

Of course should the Towkay and Santokh did somehow inadvertently allowed the ball to get through them...there was Spiderman Arunmugam - he of the extending arms covering almost every inch of the goal mouth...and then when he has the ball safely in his hands...he kicks it way into the other half for the mercurial Mokhtar Dahari to do his magic onto the other team. 

Do you all remember that we never said just Mokhtar when mentioning him....it is always Mokhtar Dahari for it was no sweat for any of us to say his name in full...Mokhtar Dahari.. and we roll that name off our tongue with glee! Wooha!

These four and a few others of their team mates made our lives more exciting, made our people share our thoughts and our dreams of what our football team could do and  "yes!" we did tewaskan South Korea 2-1 at Stadium Merdeka to qualify for the Olympics.in 1980! 

There is little that can be said about the state of our nation today that resonates with the majority of our people. Little that can be done today by anyone that can get a whole crowd of Malaysians jumping to their feet shouting their hearts out in unison to support this once great country of ours. And sadly, even football, the game that we all love...has become a symbol of our division rather than one of cohesion.Think of what is happening with FAM, with Kelantan (where money is a problem) and with Johor Darul Ta'zim (where money is NOT a problem)....and the Ministry of Youth and Sport's Minister has his eyes more on politics rather than on sports!

Those are the sad realities that we now live under.

I can still allow my mind to wander back to those days when The Towkay, Santokh, Aru and Mokhtar Dahari filled me and thousands of fellow Malaysians gathered in Merdeka Stadium with anticipation as we wait for the whistle to blow to start the game. And when we could not make it to the Stadium we could still hear the smooth urbane Rahim Razali doing the commentary on our transistor radios or TV.

Them were indeed the good old days.....how i miss them!