For subscribers
What Asean and buoyant Manchester United have in common
Years of underachievement, now a moment in the sun. For both, the hard part comes next.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (with gavel) during a symbolic handover of the Asean chairmanship to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 28.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
Yes, football does not explain the world, we know that. But this week, two groups of people – Manchester United fans and the full-throated backers of Asean – find themselves in roughly the same emotional state.
Both have, for long, been haunted, taunted, defined by underachievement. Both have had to endure watching the institutions they are loyal to wear the labels: empty, toothless, limp, irrelevant.
