KUALA LUMPUR • Khairy Jamaluddin has asked the Malaysian public not to pit him against the Johor royal family after photos of him meeting the Sultan of Johor and the Johor Crown Prince emerged online.

The meeting between the nation's Youth and Sports Minister and the Johor royals comes a day after Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar challenged Mr Khairy and the SEA Games polo team to play against the Johor team.

Photos of Mr Khairy and the royals were shared on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page and Mr Khairy himself posted two photos of the visit on his Twitter page yesterday.

However, no explanation for the visit was revealed in either post.

Mr Khairy tweeted that he had asked Tunku Ismail for his thoughts on the development of the nation's football team, and shared a photo of him and the Crown Prince in conversation at a dining table.

"Please do not pit me against the Johor Royal family," tweeted Mr Khairy yesterday.

He also cautioned the public to be respectful with their comments on social media.

Sultan Ibrahim's challenge comes after Malaysia's polo team, of which Mr Khairy is a part of, defeated both Brunei and Singapore during the ongoing SEA Games matches.

In a Facebook post on the Johor Southern Tigers page headlined "If you're a man, play against the Johor team", Sultan Ibrahim said: "I challenge the SEA Games polo team to come to Johor and show your fangs since news of your greatness supersedes you.

"I will send two of my sons and two of our horse trainers or perhaps myself, as I believe I still have what it takes," added the 58-year-old.

"Should my team lose, I will admit that the SEA Games team are represented by the best there is."

THE STAR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE