Football: Myanmar winger Hein Htet Aung wants to win for his countrymen

SINGAPORE – The late reggae icon Bob Marley said in a 1979 interview that “football is freedom”. Music had made the man, but football gave him respite and stitched his life together.

Much like Marley, football helps to emancipate Myanmar winger Hein Htet Aung. With the ball at his feet, the woes facing his country and what he has been through in the last two years are a distant thought.

In March 2021, he became a figure of resistance back home after he displayed a three-finger salute – inspired by the Hunger Games films – to show solidarity with the Myanmar protesters while playing for Malaysian club Selangor.

Unrest in Myanmar had started in the previous month, when the country’s military

declared a one-year state of emergency

and appointed a general as acting president, after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials. The army has responded to pro-democracy protests and dissent with lethal force.

Not surprisingly, Hein Htet Aung initially declined The Straits Times’ request for an interview on Friday, the eve of their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship Group B

match against Singapore.

After repeated tries, the 21-year-old relented at their training session, but with a caveat: “Please, only questions about football.”

For his salute, which earned him a one-match ban in the Malaysian league, Hein Htet Aung could also have been stripped of his chance to represent the national team, but he fights on.

Others have not been as fortunate. Chit Bo Bo Nyein, his former teammate at Myanmar club Hantharwady United, was killed during protests in 2021. He was 21.

In the same year, his national teammate Pyae Lyan Aung also raised a three-finger salute in protest before a World Cup qualifying match in Japan. Fearing punishment, he then refused to return home and was later granted refugee status by the Japanese government. 

What does Hein Htet Aung remember about Chit Bo Bo Nyein?

“Of course I will never forget him. I have him in my mind before I go to play. We as a team play for the people,” said the midfielder, whose parents live in the city of Bago with his 14-year-old brother.

“We play for our family back home. They are all behind us. They give us a lot of motivation. One thing about us is that we will fight till the end of the match. We fight for the people back home.

“I know Singapore are favourites but we have to show how much we want to do this for the people of Myanmar.”

Myanmar coach Antoine Hey sang a similar tune at the pre-match press conference on Friday. His side had lost their opening match 1-0 to Malaysia on Wednesday.

He said: “We have a lot of things that have improved. The league is back after we went two years without it with Covid-19 and the political situation inside the country.

“We have gone through a valley of tears together and now we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. The team is in a positive mood and we are very focused on getting a result to make everybody happy back home.”

When asked about the situation back home and whether the players talk about it, Hein Htet Aung said: “Next question, please.”

He added that he cannot speak about some things for fear of repercussion when he returns home.

For now, the only respite is football and he wants to do the bulk of his talking on the pitch.

“This game is important not only for me but for the whole team. Football means everything to me.

“I cannot explain it. I hope tomorrow at the end of the game, we are all celebrating a win,” he said before trudging back to his ball.