Manchester United Supporters' Club

THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE OF MUSC MALAYSIA

IN THIS ISSUE:

Main Page

Opening of Outpost 3

The Queen and the Devils
in Malaysia

Merchandises

Social Activities

The Clubhouse

The materials used on this homepage remain the copyright of MUFC Fans Sdn Bhd [258063A}

THE QUEEN & THE DEVILS IN MALAYSIA
HOW IT ALL STARTED

It all started 16 months ago (in June 1997, when the Trafford Park Development Corporation people contacted us. Derek Farmer, the commercial director, was head of a nine-member delegation participating in the Quality Urban Life '97 Exhibition in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. A signed Gary Neville jersey was presented to the Supporters' Club to remind us that the next Commonwealth Games will be in Manchester. [A group of 20 RED members turned up and it was the beginning of our association with Manchester 2002. [To show that we (the Malaysians) were sincere to extend our assistance, we established contact with the Trafford Park people when we went to Old Trafford].

Two months later, the British Chamber of Commerce & Industry came on the scene and we were invited to a Trade Reception at the British Trade Commission in Ampang. When asked by some of the guests what we were selling, we just said "passions" of Manchester United. The next day, at approximately 3.30am Malaysian time, a group of five English "Man United" fans accepted our invitation and arrived in two cabs (taxi) to have a taste of the Supporters Club house and to watch Manchester United play Kosice in the European Champion League. They were impressed with what they saw - 30 sleepy Malaysians turning up at 4am in the morning to watch a "live "game.

A few months later (sometime in January) Lis Phelan, the Director of Sports Deputy Chief Executive of Marketing Manchester came onto the picture. She was involved in planning the handover of Kuala Lumpur '98 to Manchester 2002. With her was Mervyn Stephenson, (now a member of the Supporters' Club). Lis was unsuccessful in convincing SUKOM the organiser of KL98 to permit the Manchester United Youth Squad to play at the Closing Ceremony of the 1998 Common wealth Games. It was a big letdown for her and our members. A Match involving the Malaysian 2000 Olympic Squad and the MU Youth Team was welcomed by all except the SUKOM people!

Fate played a big hand for us to meet the Queen. The Manchester United Supporters' Club was involved in promoting 'Christmas in London'. Yes, the people at Concorde Hotel (KL) invited the Supporters' Club to be part of their London promotion. Headed by F&B Director, Mark Rummery (British Rugby fan), they knew that Man U is not in London, but what could be more British and furthermore, many of the locals do not know where is Manchester United. We humoured them and later at a gathering hosted by the Hotel Management (Gongxi Raya), I met Tim Hanson, the Second Secretary - Commercial at the British High Commission in KL. [Tim is still a bachelor but unfortunately he is not a United supporter so Tress cannot prepare the necessary matching papers.]

Tim was invited to the opening of Outpost2. We had the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, an ardent United supporter, officiating Tim was probably impressed. In May, ERIC (yes Cantona) came to the Clubhouse and Tim was probably more impressed and when we invited him to the Annual Gathering of the Red Tribe on 21 June 1998, he just had to get us involved with the Queen's visit!

We met the Queen's people from Buckingham Palace and the British High Commissioner (Spurs supporter). Mr Moss is now Sir David Moss and we thanked him and all concerned for this opportunity to meet Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. We would like to also record our appreciation to Ms Angie Yen for coordinating the Event and for acting as the avenue for releasing all our frustrations with the constant changes of instructions.

PLANNING

Because of the protocol, planning was not easy. There were a few times when we wanted to 'pull out' as we were told to do things we were unfamiliar with. Just imagine telling Becks (playing as right wing back) to float the ball in from the right. What happened if he had shifted to the left side. Is he still going to float the ball in from the right? It wasn't as bad as that but we had our problems. First they wanted kids to 'play' football in the park, then they wanted the kids to gather round the Queen, then they say they want two kids only! (If the kids were not disappointed, their parents surely were)...just like footballs being kicked about eh?? Then the topic of the presentation of posies was discussed, yes, okay, just courtesy and being polite, ..then they say it is not right for a football club to present posies as it is too "feminine". Come to think about it, isn't a football too 'manly' for the Queen?

On the introduction, they asked for details of the VVIPs/Honorary Members that we were inviting. At first it was ten) to be introduced, then it was officially reduced to four in writing. We "bargained" for six and they came back with two. Towards the end it was really up to me to "play it by ear". The final result was four. The Patron and his wife, the Club Administrator and the Director from Sharp.

Believe me, for a lesser being, I would have given a 'walkover' and maybe they could then complain to Chairman Edwards that we have no respect for the Queen!

INVITATION

The number to be invited changed with such speed that we were getting confused as to what exactly these people (British High Commission/Buckingham Palace) wanted. Being a working day, and not knowing how supportive the members were, the BHC/BP were expecting 10/20 kids in jerseys. The 100 or so members who turned up surprised them and the media who were there! Adults in jerseys thousands of miles from Old Trafford! Unbelievable but true.

Note : First we notified our members (through the Club's newsletter and/or telephone). No, No, it is not the Queen's Baton you see going around Malaysia, it's the Queen herself. A series of 'elimination' were used to finalise the list of members to be invited. First we considered those who helped the Club rebuild after the Fire in 1995, then those who have attended the Club's numerous functions and "live" telecasts, those who assist us in organising our Branch visits and those who do their shopping at the Clubhouse and the official Outposts.

On Sunday, 20 August, a day before the Closing of the Commonwealth Games, we were invited to the reception where the launch of Manchester 2002 was held. The Manchester United Supporters Club Malaysian Branch has been involved, is still involved and expected to be further involved with future promotion (that's probablv the reason we were invited).

The Duke of Edinburgh was there, the Mayor of Manchester was there, Lis and Mervyn were there and Sir Bobby' was there with many other Manchester 2002 committee members. We took the opportunity to invite Sir Bobby for our Big Day. Basically, we thought that if the Queen and Duke cannot sign autographs, Sir Bobby would be a real treat for those who have not met the football Legend and he can keep an eye on us and the two footballs.

THE BIG DAY

The Day finally arrived. Many of us were hoping for a Public Holiday to be declared since the Commonwealth Games was so successfully staged. Some of us were fortunate to have seen the Queen at the closing ceremony (albeit from a distance) and we are at long last going to be "seen" in the company of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh. To the older members meeting the Royal Couple is a Dream come true, to the younger ones, they would have preferred Lady Di.

The Flags were arranged to be transported, all the official ones to be mounted on eight-foot high poles and arranged according to the Club's protocol: United Flag, Malaysia United, Union Jack, United Manchester 2002. Beckham, Giggs, Cantona, Keane flags were also distributed for display. The two United footballs were inflated and carried in a big MU plastic 'carry bag'. [Not worth very much at this time because they are available for sale at the Megastore]. Nicholas How and Elianoor Munnings were briefed on what to say and how the Signing Pens were to be handed to the Royal Couple. The Plaque thanking the Royal Couple for their presence was also carefully packed.

11am at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KL CC). We arrived at our arranged place. The foreign press were there, the Buckingham Palace security were there, the local security were there and our members were there! Angie greeted us and stayed in the background. The Media people started giving orders, the Security started giving orders, the Branch Secretary started giving orders. We were lucky that all the Members were united and only listen to the Branch Secretary or else it could be quite chaotic. It reached a stage when the Security personnel were told firmly but politely that we have our instructions and programme to follow and while we may be able to accommodate some changes, we cannot take instructions from everyone. The Press wanted us to assemble in a certain way, the Security in another and we had earlier agreed with the Queen's Asst Secretary and the British High Commission's representatives as to what we were to do.

Sir Bobby Charlton who was invited by us arrived and was actually taken aback when told that the Queen will be signing a football and the Duke another one. He was concerned that protocol might not allow the Royal Couple to sign football but was quickly assured that this has been cleared by Buckingham Palace. Sir Bobby's presence gave the two kids much needed moral support [When we were their age, the only time we see the Queen was when we used the Currency - legal tender in Malaysia between 1953 and 1959]

THE FINALE

The Queen arrived up the escalator first, followed by (we really did not know who came up next) but we saw Lady Joan Moss, Sir David Moss, the English Foreign Affair Minister Robin Cook, the Duke, the Malaysian Education Minister Datuk Najib Abdul Razak, the Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Lim Ah Lek, other VVIPs plus a group of "bodyguards". In the excitement (seeing the Queen), all others were temporarily ignored.

Our most sincere apologies, we didn't mean to offend but it's not everyday that we meet someone like the Queen of England!

The Queen didn't say much and neither did we! It was a matter of speak when absolutely neccssary or speak when spoken to. In the few minutes of meeting her, introducing her to the senior club officials, leading her to the Football and signing it and presenting the Plaque to her. I can only remember a few smiles, a few moments of 'hesitation' as she pondered what to do next.

What did she say?? On arriving upstairs and being greeted, she said "SHARP??" instead of Manchester United. On being handed the pen and as she begins to write her name, she murmured "a bit small". Didn't know whether she was referring to her signature or the pen. When the pen dropped into the groove of the football she said "Oh dear!" and when we presented the plague to her, she said "very nice!"

The Duke of Edinburgh was next. He was a little more "talkative", by that we mean we were not overcome by the occasion and could hear him say a few more words.

Personally I think he was pretending to be a little confused by the White kit. He actually asked one of the members whether he was a Man United supporter! Just as well we didn't allow our members to wear the Blue (Everton), Black (Wimbledon} or Yellow & Green. The Blue & White of Blackburn and Wednesday would have caused us to lose our Red Devil identity!

Nick and Elia were swamped by the foreign photographers and the TV Crews. Maybe we in Malaysia do not know the full implication of the Queen signing a football. It was the first time she has signed or gone anywhere near a football!

The Event was carried in most of the major UK papers. We do not know how many but at the last count, the Malaysian Branch made it to : The Manchester Evening Papers, The Times, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Independence.

How valuable are these footballs? We really don't know but Sir Bobby must know something. He ended up shielding Nick and Elia from the roaming hands of the many people who wanted to "touch" the two footballs!

And the $64,000 question, where are we going to keep them?? In the Clubhouse of course!

It was a fairy tale ending ... and we now have two of the most precious BALLS on record and of course the Malaysian Supporters Club is a little better known. All the major UK papers carried the story about the Queen signing for Man United and offers for the two balls were politely turned down.

As Barry Moorhouse, the PLC's Membership Secretary said, "first it was the King and now it's the Queen. Who's next?

Well, we don't know yet. We had the Chairman and the Club Secretary in 1995 when United visited Malaysia. In 1996 we had BEST. Sir BOBBY was at the Clubhouse in 1997. This year we had KING ERIC and then shortly after that the QUEEN. We couldn't get Her Majesty to come to the Clubhouse so we brought the Clubhouse to her.

	*THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE OF MUSC MALAYSIA*
IN THIS ISSUE: Main Page Opening of Outpost 3 The Queen and the Devils in Malaysia Merchandises Social Activities The Clubhouse The materials used on this homepage remain the copyright of MUFC Fans Sdn Bhd [258063A}		THE QUEEN & THE DEVILS IN MALAYSIA HOW IT ALL STARTED It all started 16 months ago (in June 1997, when the Trafford Park Development Corporation people contacted us. Derek Farmer, the commercial director, was head of a nine-member delegation participating in the Quality Urban Life '97 Exhibition in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. A signed Gary Neville jersey was presented to the Supporters' Club to remind us that the next Commonwealth Games will be in Manchester. [A group of 20 RED members turned up and it was the beginning of our association with Manchester 2002. [To show that we (the Malaysians) were sincere to extend our assistance, we established contact with the Trafford Park people when we went to Old Trafford]. Two months later, the British Chamber of Commerce & Industry came on the scene and we were invited to a Trade Reception at the British Trade Commission in Ampang. When asked by some of the guests what we were selling, we just said "passions" of Manchester United. The next day, at approximately 3.30am Malaysian time, a group of five English "Man United" fans accepted our invitation and arrived in two cabs (taxi) to have a taste of the Supporters Club house and to watch Manchester United play Kosice in the European Champion League. They were impressed with what they saw - 30 sleepy Malaysians turning up at 4am in the morning to watch a "live "game. A few months later (sometime in January) Lis Phelan, the Director of Sports Deputy Chief Executive of Marketing Manchester came onto the picture. She was involved in planning the handover of Kuala Lumpur '98 to Manchester 2002. With her was Mervyn Stephenson, (now a member of the Supporters' Club). Lis was unsuccessful in convincing SUKOM the organiser of KL98 to permit the Manchester United Youth Squad to play at the Closing Ceremony of the 1998 Common wealth Games. It was a big letdown for her and our members. A Match involving the Malaysian 2000 Olympic Squad and the MU Youth Team was welcomed by all except the SUKOM people! Fate played a big hand for us to meet the Queen. The Manchester United Supporters' Club was involved in promoting 'Christmas in London'. Yes, the people at Concorde Hotel (KL) invited the Supporters' Club to be part of their London promotion. Headed by F&B Director, Mark Rummery (British Rugby fan), they knew that Man U is not in London, but what could be more British and furthermore, many of the locals do not know where is Manchester United. We humoured them and later at a gathering hosted by the Hotel Management (Gongxi Raya), I met Tim Hanson, the Second Secretary - Commercial at the British High Commission in KL. [Tim is still a bachelor but unfortunately he is not a United supporter so Tress cannot prepare the necessary matching papers.] Tim was invited to the opening of Outpost2. We had the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, an ardent United supporter, officiating Tim was probably impressed. In May, ERIC (yes Cantona) came to the Clubhouse and Tim was probably more impressed and when we invited him to the Annual Gathering of the Red Tribe on 21 June 1998, he just had to get us involved with the Queen's visit! We met the Queen's people from Buckingham Palace and the British High Commissioner (Spurs supporter). Mr Moss is now Sir David Moss and we thanked him and all concerned for this opportunity to meet Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. We would like to also record our appreciation to Ms Angie Yen for coordinating the Event and for acting as the avenue for releasing all our frustrations with the constant changes of instructions. PLANNING Because of the protocol, planning was not easy. There were a few times when we wanted to 'pull out' as we were told to do things we were unfamiliar with. Just imagine telling Becks (playing as right wing back) to float the ball in from the right. What happened if he had shifted to the left side. Is he still going to float the ball in from the right? It wasn't as bad as that but we had our problems. First they wanted kids to 'play' football in the park, then they wanted the kids to gather round the Queen, then they say they want two kids only! (If the kids were not disappointed, their parents surely were)...just like footballs being kicked about eh?? Then the topic of the presentation of posies was discussed, yes, okay, just courtesy and being polite, ..then they say it is not right for a football club to present posies as it is too "feminine". Come to think about it, isn't a football too 'manly' for the Queen? On the introduction, they asked for details of the VVIPs/Honorary Members that we were inviting. At first it was ten) to be introduced, then it was officially reduced to four in writing. We "bargained" for six and they came back with two. Towards the end it was really up to me to "play it by ear". The final result was four. The Patron and his wife, the Club Administrator and the Director from Sharp. Believe me, for a lesser being, I would have given a 'walkover' and maybe they could then complain to Chairman Edwards that we have no respect for the Queen! INVITATION The number to be invited changed with such speed that we were getting confused as to what exactly these people (British High Commission/Buckingham Palace) wanted. Being a working day, and not knowing how supportive the members were, the BHC/BP were expecting 10/20 kids in jerseys. The 100 or so members who turned up surprised them and the media who were there! Adults in jerseys thousands of miles from Old Trafford! Unbelievable but true. Note : First we notified our members (through the Club's newsletter and/or telephone). No, No, it is not the Queen's Baton you see going around Malaysia, it's the Queen herself. A series of 'elimination' were used to finalise the list of members to be invited. First we considered those who helped the Club rebuild after the Fire in 1995, then those who have attended the Club's numerous functions and "live" telecasts, those who assist us in organising our Branch visits and those who do their shopping at the Clubhouse and the official Outposts. On Sunday, 20 August, a day before the Closing of the Commonwealth Games, we were invited to the reception where the launch of Manchester 2002 was held. The Manchester United Supporters Club Malaysian Branch has been involved, is still involved and expected to be further involved with future promotion (that's probablv the reason we were invited). The Duke of Edinburgh was there, the Mayor of Manchester was there, Lis and Mervyn were there and Sir Bobby' was there with many other Manchester 2002 committee members. We took the opportunity to invite Sir Bobby for our Big Day. Basically, we thought that if the Queen and Duke cannot sign autographs, Sir Bobby would be a real treat for those who have not met the football Legend and he can keep an eye on us and the two footballs. THE BIG DAY The Day finally arrived. Many of us were hoping for a Public Holiday to be declared since the Commonwealth Games was so successfully staged. Some of us were fortunate to have seen the Queen at the closing ceremony (albeit from a distance) and we are at long last going to be "seen" in the company of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh. To the older members meeting the Royal Couple is a Dream come true, to the younger ones, they would have preferred Lady Di. The Flags were arranged to be transported, all the official ones to be mounted on eight-foot high poles and arranged according to the Club's protocol: United Flag, Malaysia United, Union Jack, United Manchester 2002. Beckham, Giggs, Cantona, Keane flags were also distributed for display. The two United footballs were inflated and carried in a big MU plastic 'carry bag'. [Not worth very much at this time because they are available for sale at the Megastore]. Nicholas How and Elianoor Munnings were briefed on what to say and how the Signing Pens were to be handed to the Royal Couple. The Plaque thanking the Royal Couple for their presence was also carefully packed. 11am at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KL CC). We arrived at our arranged place. The foreign press were there, the Buckingham Palace security were there, the local security were there and our members were there! Angie greeted us and stayed in the background. The Media people started giving orders, the Security started giving orders, the Branch Secretary started giving orders. We were lucky that all the Members were united and only listen to the Branch Secretary or else it could be quite chaotic. It reached a stage when the Security personnel were told firmly but politely that we have our instructions and programme to follow and while we may be able to accommodate some changes, we cannot take instructions from everyone. The Press wanted us to assemble in a certain way, the Security in another and we had earlier agreed with the Queen's Asst Secretary and the British High Commission's representatives as to what we were to do. Sir Bobby Charlton who was invited by us arrived and was actually taken aback when told that the Queen will be signing a football and the Duke another one. He was concerned that protocol might not allow the Royal Couple to sign football but was quickly assured that this has been cleared by Buckingham Palace. Sir Bobby's presence gave the two kids much needed moral support [When we were their age, the only time we see the Queen was when we used the Currency - legal tender in Malaysia between 1953 and 1959] THE FINALE The Queen arrived up the escalator first, followed by (we really did not know who came up next) but we saw Lady Joan Moss, Sir David Moss, the English Foreign Affair Minister Robin Cook, the Duke, the Malaysian Education Minister Datuk Najib Abdul Razak, the Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Lim Ah Lek, other VVIPs plus a group of "bodyguards". In the excitement (seeing the Queen), all others were temporarily ignored. Our most sincere apologies, we didn't mean to offend but it's not everyday that we meet someone like the Queen of England! The Queen didn't say much and neither did we! It was a matter of speak when absolutely neccssary or speak when spoken to. In the few minutes of meeting her, introducing her to the senior club officials, leading her to the Football and signing it and presenting the Plaque to her. I can only remember a few smiles, a few moments of 'hesitation' as she pondered what to do next. What did she say?? On arriving upstairs and being greeted, she said "SHARP??" instead of Manchester United. On being handed the pen and as she begins to write her name, she murmured "a bit small". Didn't know whether she was referring to her signature or the pen. When the pen dropped into the groove of the football she said "Oh dear!" and when we presented the plague to her, she said "very nice!" The Duke of Edinburgh was next. He was a little more "talkative", by that we mean we were not overcome by the occasion and could hear him say a few more words. Personally I think he was pretending to be a little confused by the White kit. He actually asked one of the members whether he was a Man United supporter! Just as well we didn't allow our members to wear the Blue (Everton), Black (Wimbledon} or Yellow & Green. The Blue & White of Blackburn and Wednesday would have caused us to lose our Red Devil identity! Nick and Elia were swamped by the foreign photographers and the TV Crews. Maybe we in Malaysia do not know the full implication of the Queen signing a football. It was the first time she has signed or gone anywhere near a football! The Event was carried in most of the major UK papers. We do not know how many but at the last count, the Malaysian Branch made it to : The Manchester Evening Papers, The Times, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Independence. How valuable are these footballs? We really don't know but Sir Bobby must know something. He ended up shielding Nick and Elia from the roaming hands of the many people who wanted to "touch" the two footballs! And the $64,000 question, where are we going to keep them?? In the Clubhouse of course! It was a fairy tale ending ... and we now have two of the most precious BALLS on record and of course the Malaysian Supporters Club is a little better known. All the major UK papers carried the story about the Queen signing for Man United and offers for the two balls were politely turned down. As Barry Moorhouse, the PLC's Membership Secretary said, "first it was the King and now it's the Queen. Who's next? Well, we don't know yet. We had the Chairman and the Club Secretary in 1995 when United visited Malaysia. In 1996 we had BEST. Sir BOBBY was at the Clubhouse in 1997. This year we had KING ERIC and then shortly after that the QUEEN. We couldn't get Her Majesty to come to the Clubhouse so we brought the Clubhouse to her.