Muhammad Sanusi attempting a goal-ward shot in Selangor’s half.
A FOOTBALL friendly was held between teams cherry picked by the mentris besar of Selangor and Kedah. The latter emerged victorious winning 8-5 over Selangor.
Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and his Selangor counterpart Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari hand-picked their teams.
They included government officials, employees, department heads and former football players from their respective states.
The match took place at the Selangor FC Training Centre in Shah Alam on Sept 3.
Both teams were aggressive all the way through, with Muhammad Sanusi scoring a goal during the first half.
After the game, Sanusi said the match was a sign of political maturity.
He said sports indeed brought everyone together regardless of background.
Rajagopal (left) about to make a substitution for Selangor.
“The strengthening of relationships between the states in Malaysia is always a positive step forward.
“I hope that in the future, we can extend the challenge to other states as well, in a ‘relaxed’ manner.
“This is the ‘relaxed’ way to do it because after 67 years of independence, our nation has matured, and we should exchange views as we take the country forward.”
Also present at the match were Selangor winger Faisal Halim, and former national football coach Datuk K. Rajagopal who was the coach of the Selangor MB team.
Amirudin said the match was set due to the official visit of the Kedah government.
“We hosted a friendly match between the state governments for the visitors who came from the north.”
He said sharing administrative experience was not a problem, and the exchange occurred frequently.
Amirudin (left) with Sanusi at the football match. — Photos: SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star
“After elections and as maturity sets in, it’s important to establish peace so that everyone has the space to implement policies.
“When the time comes, we should return to evaluate and provide feedback.
“This is the best time to review the situation and continue with the administration peacefully.
“This is a clear signal to move forward.
“Differences are fine, but at the same time, we are still Malaysians, and we have a shared responsibility,” said Amirudin.
Sanusi offered for the Kedah government to host the next friendly.
Earlier that day, both leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Selangor Utility Corridor and Utiliti Infra Darul Aman.
