Liverpool FC’s 19th English Premier League title last season stirred up a lot of emotions and brought many happy memories to fans throughout the world, and especially in Malaysia. Even Prime Ministers, Presidents and world leaders congratulated LFC on the win, which came after a gap of 30 years (even though the club won many other things, including two European Cups during that `gap’).
Which brings to mind, who among the current crop of politicians and corporate leaders are actually big fans of LFC?
Let’s come up with a list of those we can identify from the public domain (as well as confirmation by friends and colleagues):
Minister of Finance, YBM Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz
Minister of Works, YB Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof
Selangor Menteri Besar, YAB Dato Sri Amirudin Shari
Minister of Religious Affairs, YB Senator Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohammad Al-Bakri
Chief Executive Officer, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan
President and Chief Executive Officer, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Amir Hamzah Azizan
President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Petronas, Tengku Muhammad Taufiq Tengku Aziz
Managing Director, Boustead Holdings Bhd, Dato Sri Amrin Awaluddin
Group Chief Executive Officer, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas), Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah
Managing Director, UEM Edgenta, Syahrunizam Samsudin
Chairman, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Dr Rais Hussin
Chief Executive Officer, Petra Energy Berhad, Dato’ Anthony Bujang
Chief Executive Officer, Ripple Media, Seelan Paul
Chief Executive Officer, Primeworks Studios, Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar
Managing Director, Awesome TV, Johan Ishak
Head, Sony Interactive Entertainment Studio (SEA), Hasnul Hadi Samsudin
Chief Executive Officer, PitchIn, Sam Shafie
And if we were to place them all in LFC’s hierarchy, this is how I would put it, in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper
Tengku Muhammad Taufiq
The Petronas stalwart has to be the great wall for the team. Similar to how Petronas is always the largest Malaysian corporate entity and probably the last defence for the country.
Defenders
Amir Hamzah (CB)
Shahril Ridza (CB)
Amirudin Shari (LB)
Johan Ishak (RB)
This is a strong back four. Pillar of strength in every position. And interchangeable too, just how Jurgen Klopp would like it. Formidable and convincing, with the `power’ to match. A truly `awesome’ defence.
Midfielders
Amrin Awaluddin (AM)
Fadillah Yusof (LM)
Mohammad Azlan Abdullah (RM)
Agile, fast and creative. Of course, we would need a group of midfield maestros who knows when to make the right decision at the right time. One killer pass and our speedy forwards would kill off the move. The presence of a Sarawak kingmaker in midfield would be a body blow to many opponents, indeed!
Forwards
Syahrunizam Samsudin (CF)
Tengku Zafrul (ST)
Seelan Paul (CF)
And speaking of speedy forwards. This would be our `terrible trio’. Superfit and fast, just like LFC’s own fantastic forwards. Creativity abounds, and with the right style to match, too. Expect a lot of goals from this lot.
Substitutes
Dr Zulkifli Mohammad Al-Bakri (F)
Anthony Bujang (M)
Ahmad Izham Omar (M)
Sam Shafie (CB)
Hasnul Hadi (GK)
Our substitutes are ready and able, `religiously’ imitating the attacking style propagated by LFC. Strong backups in every position. Strong in resources, funding and creativity!
Manager
Dr Rais Hussin
Of course, we would need someone to strategise the whole operation. And identify the right formation for the right opponents. But as they always say, the attack is the best form of defence, using digital tools (Moneyball, etc). And only with a united (bersatu) front can this team prosper…
There you have it, an LFC team made up of the who’s who of Malaysia’s corporate, tech and political sphere.
