THE blood and thunder of the English Premier League draw fans from all over the world. Most are attracted by the fast and furious pace of the games, superstar players and – not forgetting – the boisterous atmosphere inside the stadiums.
But most will have to enjoy such football extravaganzas from afar on TV, phone or computer screens as the cost of actually watching a game live and in-person is prohibitive.
Never mind the match tickets which are scarce themselves, the expenses associated with such a trip which will take in lodging and travel cost a bomb. Thus, it is an experience usually reserved for the very well-heeled Malaysian.
Hence, imagine the chargrin of netizens upon viewing the Facebook post by former UMNO warlord Tan Sri Annuar Musa who is now PAS Central Working Committee (CWC) member (since September 2025) at the Etihad stadium witnessing live the Manchester City vs Chelsea game (on Jan 5) which ended 1-1.
The former Communications and Multimedia Minister (from August 2021 to November 2022) prior to his sacking from UMNO after the 2022 national polls even thanked ManCity defender and Uzbek international Abdukodir Khusanov for gifting his family tickets for the high-profile encounter.
Nevertheless, detractors ticked off the former Ketereh MP for flaunting a lavish lifestyle. This is, after all, a politician who regularly highlighted that Malaysians were suffering from cost-of-living and other economic hardships.
Obviously, such conspicuous show of wealth seems to be at odds with many pronouncements by the ex-Kelantan FA president that Malaysians were poor due to cruel government policies. One commenter even likened such wealth as being able to sustain “seven generations or more”.
Some commenters lambasted the Kelantan-born politician for showcasing his wealth when many of his brethren live in a state of poverty.
One commenter gleefully punned the event as “Muapakat City” in reference to the much-rumoured impending alliance between UMNO and PAS under the ‘Muafakat Nasional’ umbrella.
Another cheeky commenter congratulated Annuar for being the first “PAS ulamak” (religious scholar) to set foot in the Etihad.
The scorn and ridicule continued in a later post with the former Federal Territories Minister and his family hobnobbing with Khusanov whose contract with ManCity runs till 2029 at their hotel.
The trolling made constant references to the lavish lifestyle that was on display by these members of upper crust society while another commenter sarcastically observed this was the perfect example of a PAS leader who was unencumbered by worldly delights.
One commenter mockingly suggested that the veteran politician was able to realise the dream of watching ManCity with his grandkid at the Etihad simply because he had been saving since young for such a trip.
It is unsure if Annuar who has served under three different premiers is aware of the massive trolling that has been visited upon his football-related post.
To put it mildly, it just isn’t a good look for a politician to be showing off any form of wealth when many citizens are struggling with everyday expenses.
Fortunately for 21-year-old Khusanov, he was exempted from the trolling even though he was with his Malaysian guest throughout the entire match. However, one opportunistic commenter still managed to put in a request for a signed jersey (apparently Khusanov has presented one of his #45 jersey to Annuar’s grandson). – Jan 7, 2025
- Focus Malaysia
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