‘Congratulations Harimau Malaya! No Public Holiday, Okay,’ PM Anwar Jokes

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated Harimau Malaya on their victory over Vietnam to secure third place in the ASEAN FIFA Cup 2026.

Anwar said the achievement also saw the national squad finish the tournament unbeaten and without conceding a goal.

“Thank you to all the players and coaching staff for their determination and fighting spirit for the badge on their chests,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The Prime Minister also offered words of encouragement to the national squad to keep moving forward and continue fighting to bring pride to the country.

In a light-hearted remark, Anwar also reminded Malaysians that there would be no public holiday following the achievement.

“No public holiday, okay, including for foreigners working in Malaysia. It’s work as usual tomorrow,” he said.

Earlier, Malaysia ended a 12-year wait for a victory over Vietnam after securing a 1-0 win in the ASEAN FIFA Cup 2026 third-place playoff at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) in Jakarta on Monday.

Substitute Fergus Tierney emerged as Harimau Malaya’s hero after scoring the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute, ensuring the squad under interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe finished their campaign in third place.

BERNAMA