Post by Macmoish on Jul 23, 2011 14:04:44 GMT
Chelsea report on their game in Malaysia. Not a single reference to the widely-reported fact that the Malaysian Crowd throughout the first half was booing Chelsea's Israeli (and Jewish) player
Chelsea Official Site
DROGBA: FANTASTIC FANS
Didier Drogba learned a lot at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Thursday, having for the first time sampled the enthusiasm of almost 85,000 Chelsea supporters in Asia.
Our sell-out at Malaysia's national stadium sets a new record for a Chelsea friendly, with the noise inside the arena reaching previously unimagined levels. For Drogba, who missed our 2008 tour of the region, it was an unforgettable experience, demonstrated by his filming of the crowd on his phone prior to kick-off.
The support clearly had an effect, with the 33-year-old Ivorian creating the game's only goal, his venomous free-kick rebounding off the post and in off the Malaysian goalkeeper.
'The reception was amazing,' Drogba said afterwards. 'People used to tell me we have a lot of fans here in Asia and what we saw today was unbelievable, and the whole time we have been here, the passion really was special.
'It is good to travel and feel who our supporters are. Now we know when we are playing we are not only playing for our Chelsea fans in England, we are also playing for these people.'
The forward's free-kick was the standout moment in a game made difficult by energetic opposition and an awkward pitch, not to mention the hot and humid conditions.
'I think it was a good opportunity to try and score, I'm not sure if the ball crossed the line but the most important thing is the result,' Drogba said. 'It's good for the team to win, even if it was a friendly and the game was very difficult.
'Everything made it difficult, our opposition, the heat, the pitch. We have had around 14 days of training since we started, not a lot, and our fitness is difficult starting again here.
'The pitch was not easy and also the weather, the humidity, the heat, it is really difficult. I've said before it is similar to Ivory Coast, so I am a little bit used to it even though it is very difficult. I think it's difficult for both teams, even though they are from here it must be difficult for them as well. That's how it is, it's a bit crazy.'
'Crazy' would certainly describe the levels of support experienced so far. Now it is on to Thailand and the Rajamangala National Stadium, where we will meet a local Premier League All Stars XI, once more live on Chelsea TV.
www.chelseafc.com/page/TourNews/0,,10268~2398731,00.html
And a match report
www.chelseafc.com/page/TourNews/0,,10268~2398730,00.html
AFP- Malaysians play down booing of Benayoun
(AFP) – 11 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian sporting figures on Friday sought to play down the booing of Chelsea's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun during a friendly in the Muslim-majority country.
Chelsea beat hosts Malaysia 1-0 Thursday in the capital Kuala Lumpur but the game was marred by racial abuse toward Benayoun as the crowd booed and jeered whenever the midfielder had the ball.
Benayoun was the first Israeli to play in Malaysia, which strongly supports the Palestinians and does not recognise Israel, maintaining no diplomatic ties with the country. Some 60 percent of Malaysia's population is Muslim.
Former Malaysian football official Peter Velappan said the sneering was unsporting but hard to avoid.
"It is of course unsporting," Velappan, former general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, told AFP.
"This is quite rampant in many of the European countries... (But) especially in (multiracial) Malaysia we are supposed to set an example," he said.
Mei Tang, secretary of the 750-member Malaysian branch of the Chelsea Supporters Club, praised Chelsea for bringing their whole squad, including Benayoun.
"You can't avoid it as this is a Muslim country. You have to anticipate such a scene," she told AFP. "But don't let some bad apples spoil the whole basket... This is football; they should put politics aside."
In 2008, Chelsea's Israeli coach Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim were expected to go to Malaysia after the government gave its approval despite protests from Muslim groups. But both left the team before the trip.
Chelsea, who were saved embarrassment by a late goal from Didier Drogba in their friendly -- although replays showed the ball did not cross the line -- left Malaysia Friday for Thailand, where they will play another match.
Chelsea Official Site
DROGBA: FANTASTIC FANS
Didier Drogba learned a lot at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Thursday, having for the first time sampled the enthusiasm of almost 85,000 Chelsea supporters in Asia.
Our sell-out at Malaysia's national stadium sets a new record for a Chelsea friendly, with the noise inside the arena reaching previously unimagined levels. For Drogba, who missed our 2008 tour of the region, it was an unforgettable experience, demonstrated by his filming of the crowd on his phone prior to kick-off.
The support clearly had an effect, with the 33-year-old Ivorian creating the game's only goal, his venomous free-kick rebounding off the post and in off the Malaysian goalkeeper.
'The reception was amazing,' Drogba said afterwards. 'People used to tell me we have a lot of fans here in Asia and what we saw today was unbelievable, and the whole time we have been here, the passion really was special.
'It is good to travel and feel who our supporters are. Now we know when we are playing we are not only playing for our Chelsea fans in England, we are also playing for these people.'
The forward's free-kick was the standout moment in a game made difficult by energetic opposition and an awkward pitch, not to mention the hot and humid conditions.
'I think it was a good opportunity to try and score, I'm not sure if the ball crossed the line but the most important thing is the result,' Drogba said. 'It's good for the team to win, even if it was a friendly and the game was very difficult.
'Everything made it difficult, our opposition, the heat, the pitch. We have had around 14 days of training since we started, not a lot, and our fitness is difficult starting again here.
'The pitch was not easy and also the weather, the humidity, the heat, it is really difficult. I've said before it is similar to Ivory Coast, so I am a little bit used to it even though it is very difficult. I think it's difficult for both teams, even though they are from here it must be difficult for them as well. That's how it is, it's a bit crazy.'
'Crazy' would certainly describe the levels of support experienced so far. Now it is on to Thailand and the Rajamangala National Stadium, where we will meet a local Premier League All Stars XI, once more live on Chelsea TV.
www.chelseafc.com/page/TourNews/0,,10268~2398731,00.html
And a match report
www.chelseafc.com/page/TourNews/0,,10268~2398730,00.html
AFP- Malaysians play down booing of Benayoun
(AFP) – 11 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian sporting figures on Friday sought to play down the booing of Chelsea's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun during a friendly in the Muslim-majority country.
Chelsea beat hosts Malaysia 1-0 Thursday in the capital Kuala Lumpur but the game was marred by racial abuse toward Benayoun as the crowd booed and jeered whenever the midfielder had the ball.
Benayoun was the first Israeli to play in Malaysia, which strongly supports the Palestinians and does not recognise Israel, maintaining no diplomatic ties with the country. Some 60 percent of Malaysia's population is Muslim.
Former Malaysian football official Peter Velappan said the sneering was unsporting but hard to avoid.
"It is of course unsporting," Velappan, former general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, told AFP.
"This is quite rampant in many of the European countries... (But) especially in (multiracial) Malaysia we are supposed to set an example," he said.
Mei Tang, secretary of the 750-member Malaysian branch of the Chelsea Supporters Club, praised Chelsea for bringing their whole squad, including Benayoun.
"You can't avoid it as this is a Muslim country. You have to anticipate such a scene," she told AFP. "But don't let some bad apples spoil the whole basket... This is football; they should put politics aside."
In 2008, Chelsea's Israeli coach Avram Grant and defender Tal Ben Haim were expected to go to Malaysia after the government gave its approval despite protests from Muslim groups. But both left the team before the trip.
Chelsea, who were saved embarrassment by a late goal from Didier Drogba in their friendly -- although replays showed the ball did not cross the line -- left Malaysia Friday for Thailand, where they will play another match.
