ArsenalMy Article: The Gunners finally make it to Malaysia

THE trip by ARSENAL FC to Malaysia is such a long-awaited dream come true for tens of thousands of Malaysian Gooners (as Arsenal supporters are referred to).

Their last visit to Malaysia was in May 1999, just one week after the English Premier League (EPL) season ended that year.

Back then, as the league runners-up and the previous season’s champions, ARSENAL had greatly multiplied their fan base in Malaysia in a short span of two years. This was mainly due to the beautiful attacking football that the Gunners showcased under the then new manager Arsene Wenger.

But also it was because many neutral English football supporters in Malaysia longed to get behind a team other than Manchester United and Liverpool.

Whatever the reason, the support has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 12 years thanks to legendary players who contributed to two more Premiership titles, three FA Cups, a league-Cup double, an invincible season, a Champions League final, two Carling Cup finals and just being consistently among the top four teams in the EPL every season.

ARSENAL were actually due to make a trip to Thailand and Malaysia during the mid-season break in 2003, but sadly that Tour of the Far East was cancelled due to the SARS outbreak, especially across Asia since the early part of that year. So, this trip has also managed to finally calm that deeply frustrating feeling from eight years ago.

Though the club has not added to its trophy chest since 2005, the mere presence of the Gunners in Bukit Jalil this week will be the highlight for many young supporters, mostly in their teens, who started supporting the club from the moment they took an interest in football thanks to the weekly Live Telecasts of ARSENAL matches on ESPN/StarSports.

The intensity of the match against the Malaysian selection on Wednesday will be nothing compared with the level of play in England and Europe, but as they say, the talent and class of the team is permanent.

It will certainly be on show from the young and talented squad ARSENAL are bringing to Malaysia.