File picture Malaysia’s national football team head coach Dollah Salleh upon his arriving at KLIA Sept 4, 2015. He announced his resignation after his side was thrashed by the UAE) 10-0 in the third match of the 2018 World Cup qualifer in Abu Dhabi. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — “Makhluk halus” or paranormal beings may be to blame for Malaysia’s 10-0 drubbing by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday, Malay tabloid Kosmo reported today.

While pundits and fans alike have pointed to obvious weaknesses in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as the reason for the country’s stunning defeat, the daily cited an “Islamic” medical expert Datuk Shamsuri Shafie as not discounting the possibility that such paranormal beings were employed to distract the national players on field.

The players may have been disturbed by the entities because they forgot to recite prayers before playing, he was reported saying further.

“As Muslims we are encouraged to recite prayers before doing any activities including playing football. People then will usually recite prayers before playing so they will be blessed and protected from being disturbed by these paranormal entities,” Shamsuri was quoted as saying.

He added that it is haram (forbidden) for Malay-Muslims to believe in black magic and such, but other cultures may practise it and applied them during the match.

“Sometimes there are beliefs that practise black magic to be strong on the field,” Shamsuri reportedly said.

The UAE is also an Islamic country.

Ironically in the same report, Kosmo quoted a psychologist from the University of Malaya that the embarrassing defeat suffered by the national squad nicknamed Harimau Malaya was likely caused by mental weakness.

The Kosmo news report has been widely shared on social media sites Twitter and Facebook, drawing ridicule from fans who mostly pointed out that such mind-sets dominate the FAM and is the very cause of Malaysia’s dwindling football quality.

Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin requested FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah act on the shameful performance of the national team, starting with those “around him” in the association.

Khairy was quoted by The Star Online as saying that he is almost certain that those in the FAM are not fit to be there.

National football coach Dollah Salleh has since resigned for the catastrophic performance and has been replaced by Under-23 Harimau Muda coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee.

Malaysia lost to UAE in Abu Dhabi in the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers, after the latter led by 7-0 in the half-time, setting a record for the country’s worst ever defeat in a competitive match.