Mokhtar's jersey among collections of hardcore fan

Not wanting the history of the glory of Malaysian football to be forgotten, a young man takes the initiative to collect sports items that had been issued from as early as 1933.

Starting with a jersey owned by 1970's legendary player Datuk Mokhtar Dahari, which was obtained while still studying in university, Mohd Faiz Ajis, 34, continues to track Malaysian football history through various collections including medals, souvenirs and match programme books.

"The Harimau Malaya team was much feared by the opponents and was one of the strongest in Asia at one time, but not much of a legacy or material can be remembered by today's and future generations.

"So, by collecting such items like, I hope that the deeds of the national players who brought honour to Malaysia will continue to be remembered," the civil servant told Bernama.

Most of his own collections are made up of special items issued in conjunction with the Merdeka Football Festival, an annual football tournament held to celebrate Malaysia's independence anniversary since 1957.

To date, the Petaling Jaya-born has collected about 200 jerseys, 100 souvenirs and 100 match programme books which were kept in his house.

Other items include jerseys of former players Azman Adnan and Zainal Abidin Hassan, football championship medals since the Malaya era, the batik shirt and blazer belonging to the coach during the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games qualification match.

Mohd Faiz said he spent about RM20,000 on the rare items from various sources including antique stores, personal collectibles of other collectors, while some were obtain from former players.

"Most of my football collections are priceless, each one has its own history and its very hard to get and not many can own them."

He is willing to work with museums, football associations or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to establish special exhibition centres or museums such as the National Football Museum in Manchester, England.

"The collections are part of the country's history. We must be proud of our football heritage besides taking a lesson towards restoring its greatness and fame."

Mohd Faiz said to add sentimental value to the items, he also did not miss the opportunity to meet with the original owners to get them to put down their autograph.

"Some of them were shocked when I showed them the items. They were amazed and wondered where I got hold of them."

A sports fan since seven years-old, Mohd Faiz hopes to write a book on his collections that can be used as reference materials and sources of the history of Malaysian football for future generations.

"For the time being, I am writing and sharing them through the blog kelabjersikita.blogspot.my, which has a global reach," he added. - BERNAMA