1994 Malaysia Cup final – a night Lions fans will remember forever

Like in the 1994 animated film The Lion King, one scene has endured since the Malaysia Cup final 30 years ago – that of four-year-old twins Fadly and Farid dressed in identical lion suits and held aloft by their father Jamil Sulong.

That iconic photo was captured on Dec 17, 1994, when the Lions beat Pahang 4-0 at the Shah Alam Stadium to seal the M-League and Malaysia Cup double, sparking off wild celebrations among the 50,000 Singaporean fans in the stands and more back home.

It is a moment that many fans still remember fondly.

Now 34, Fadly recalled: “My brother and I were only four but that was an atmosphere that you can never forget. It is a night that has inspired us to be lifelong supporters of the national team, regardless of how they are performing.

“It was a bonus that we got a photograph (of our father carrying us) to remember forever. We bought a few copies of that paper and have kept it.”

The family started following the Lions fervently midway through the 1992 season. Jamil, 70, told The Straits Times that he was part of the Die-Hard Fans group and the family would travel to all the Lions’ away games with bus operator Akbar Hashim.

They would stay at the same hotel as the Lions, which gave fans like him an unforgettable opportunity to rub shoulders with the players before and after games.

 

On Dec 17, exactly 30 years after the historic final, some diehard fans such as Akbar got to reunite with players from the 1994 team at a 30th anniversary event organised by the Football Association of Singapore at the National Stadium.

During the 1990s, Akbar was one of at least three tour bus operators, including Walter Koh, that ferried Singaporeans across the Causeway for matches.

Akbar, 62, told ST that he had been expecting the stadium to be filled with Singaporeans for the final, after fielding numerous enquiries following the semi-final.

He said: “I was leaving the Shah Alam Stadium during the semi-final and already everyone around me was saying, ‘Akbar, final I am coming’. The next few days, my office at Golden Mile was always busy, with even queues forming. Everybody wanted to be at Shah Alam for the final.

“It was really a sea of red and white. You looked left, right, up or down, it was a Singapore fan. There was really a sense of expectation within the fans. We knew this was it, the Malaysia Cup was going to be ours.”

He arranged for more than 90 buses filled with about 30 fans each for the Dec 17 final.

“I see it as my calling lah,” said Akbar, who renamed his tour company from Superstars Supporters to Die-Hard Fans of Singapore in September 1993.

“My father told me when I was young to start this service of helping to bring fans to watch matches. He saw that I was really passionate about local football and thought I could help others this way.”

 

While the iconic Shah Alam Stadium will soon be reduced to rubble – demolition began in July as part of the plans to replace the venue – the memories of that special night in 1994 will live on for many Singaporean football fans.

Razak Abu Samah, 64, a private hire driver, remembers the goals vividly, describing how each of the four moves started before the ball ended in the back of the net. The thundering foot stomping from the fans was so strong that he could feel the tremors even after the game, as the players did their lap of honour and supporters threw their caps, scarves and even flowers at hat-trick hero Abbas Saad.

Razak said: “It is a night that I can never ever forget. Sometimes I do think of that night again and can feel emotional. We were all expecting a win and maybe that is why the stadium was so full. But even then, with the way it happened, it just felt like a dream.

“You can ask anybody who went and they will tell you it was one of the best days of their lives.”

That 1994 experience has kept many fans going and till today, Jamil and his family continue to travel to support the Lions. They have already made plans to catch the Asean Championship clash between Malaysia and Singapore at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Dec 20.

Fadly, who also attended Singapore’s home match against Thailand on Dec 17, said: “To some it may just be a Malaysia Cup win but it means so much more to my family, especially for me, because it really kick-started my passion for football and the Lions. Till today, we back the Lions, whether we lose, draw or win.”