Asian Cup Finals: we only made it because we’re the hosts. The only time we ever made it because we could play football at the level it demands was closer to 30 years ago. We are in the same group as China and Iran, 2 teams which we were more than capable of matching then. Now, it’s a matter of how many goals we manage to keep out.

They have at least a few Europe-based players. No European team, not even the weakest clubs, want anything to do with our best players.

Why are they must-see matches, even more must-see than any English Premier League or Champions League match? Because it’s an opportunity to see really how far our nation’s number one sport has degraded in quality, and there’s nothing better than to see our national team, our first XI, the very best players in Malaysia, play against, in a competitive (i.e. non-friendly) match against teams which we used to beat, but have since improved by leaps and bounds, including qualifying for the World Cup.

After seeing supposedly the best of the best in Malaysian football again fail at the pre-Olympics and unfailingly come up with more excuses, this time I want to entertain myself by rooting for the other teams.

Iran was at war for much of the 80s and had greater political upheavals than we ever did, but still they had time to improve on their football.

Hence I would surely put the following on the diary:

• 10th July, 8.35pm, Stadium Bukit Jalil, Malaysia vs China
• 18th July, same time and venue, Malaysia vs Iran

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