Psychological warfare has become a common occurrence in sports. Using mind games is one way to gain an advantage against competitors – but whether it is morally acceptable is still debatable. With the Malaysia F.A. Cup reaching the end, the teams will likely play mind games for that competitive edge.
That is the discussion after a Selangor Football Club (F.C.) staff member shared a video on Instagram of fireworks going off right outside the hotel the team members were staying in. The staff member, Hazwan Khair, said he was woken up at 3 am by sudden blasts of fireworks but didn’t identify who had set the fireworks off.
While Hazwan did not directly mention any names, fans believe that the fireworks were the work of fans or staff members of the Johor Darul Tazim (JDT) F.C. as a method of psychological warfare. On the same day, the teams played against each other in the F.A. Cup semi-finals at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.
As the match was important for both teams, fans believed JDT had a reason to intimidate their rivals. JDT’s owner, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, also had a history of playing mind games with opposing teams, having posted a day before the match an image that showed a 5-0 scoreboard after his team defeated Selangor F.C. in the past.
Both teams have yet to comment on the sudden fireworks display, and the identity of who had set them off is still unknown. However, during the F.A. Cup semi-final game, Selangor F.C. lost 4-0 to JDT FC, which means the latter team will advance to the finals.
Of course, we can’t say anything without solid proof – but what do you think about this? Was it just a coincidence that the fireworks went off right outside the hotel, or was it an act of psychological warfare?
Sources: Instagram, Berita Harian
Adleena contributed to this article.
