Former Sabah footballers baffled by school’s sports segregation

 

Former football greats, James Wong and Matlan Marjan, said sports should be for all.

KOTA KINABALU: Two living Sabah football legends are stupefied by a Johor secondary school’s sports segregation policy.

The policy, now withdrawn, would have reserved certain sports for pupils of a particular race. The deputy education minister overruled the policy, and the school principal later apologised saying it was a mistake.

Former football international James Wong, who scored the winning goal to secure Malaysia’s qualification to the 1980 Olympic Games, said he was “speechless” by the school’s segregation decision.

Matlan Marjan, another former Sabah and national striker, said sports should be used to bring everyone closer instead of dividing the people.

Wong said sports is supposed to be universal where people from “all colour, race, creed and religion” should be allowed to participate. “Sports is the best tool for integration so I find this very ‘funny’ … I’m not sure why they want to do this,” he told FMT.

“For example in football, are they saying others shouldn’t play the game? To have everybody participate in one sport is an advantage because you can select the best (from the crop). But I just can’t imagine this happening (in our country now),” he said.

Matlan, who started playing football in SRJK Chung Hwa in Kota Belud, said he considered sports to be more “colourful” with the participation of people from all walks of life.

“Sports bind us like family especially when you are in a team in any sport. For instance in Sabah football, every race is in the sport. There are people from the Bajau, Kadazan, Dusun, Chinese, Sino-Bumiputera and many other communities – we can feel the familial bond. This is more evident when everyone gets together for the various festivities in Sabah like Kaamatan (Harvest festival), Raya and other festivals.

“Don’t segregate the games according to races because the interests of the students are not specific just to certain sports,” he said.

Wong hoped the authorities would emulate Sabah when it comes to integration of the people. “Here in Sabah, the people mix around very freely and are very warm to each other. So when we play a sport or when we go and support a sport, it doesn’t matter who you are. What’s important is that you show your solidarity towards the state and the country,” he said. - FMT