‘Why support a team that loses?’ – how fans in Asia moved on from Man Utd

A week after Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final defeat to Manchester United and three days after the end of a disappointing season, Manchester United take on the ASEAN All Stars in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The 20-time English champions may find it easier to accept the warm embrace of fans from far away, but their standing in Asia may change.

Old Trafford received its last Premier League trophy in 2013. According to a report released a year earlier, the organization claimed to have 659 million followers worldwide, about half of whom were from the Asia-Pacific region.

The Red Devils were undoubtedly the most well-known English team in Asia and perhaps the most well-known team from anywhere, despite the doubts surrounding such numbers and how a “follower” is defined.

The club’s business performance in Asia is still strong, with reports predicting that the club will make around $ 8 million playing these two games in three days.

However, repeated failures on the pitch, such as the 15th place finish to this Premier League season, have had an impact on fans, according to Malaysian journalist Haresh Deol, the founder of Malaysian news organization TwentyTwo13.

Although the 84, 000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium is one of Asia’s biggest, more than 40, 000 tickets were already on sale within hours, there are still seats in the majority of the same price range.

In contrast, United’s last visit to the same stadium was in 2009, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won 3-2 over a Malaysia XI with goals from Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Michael Owen.

According to Chinese reports, Friday’s game between a Hong Kong XI and a 40, 000-seater stadium might not sell out.

Not as many fans will likely travel from neighboring Thailand as they did prior to the Malaysia match.

National hero Park Ji-sung, a national hero, won trophy after trophy in South Korea after fifteen years of rule.

According to author Lee Seung-mo, “they were obviously the club with the largest fan base in South Korea back then.” They had no rivals in terms of popularity among any other European football teams at the time, according to them.

They still have a lot of devoted fans today, but things have changed a lot. By their standards, they continue to perform poorly.

Other English clubs have also made progress both on and off the pitch.

“Manchester City received a lot of supporters in South Korea and Liverpool received their glory back,” Lee said especially after Pep Guardiola’s arrival.

Liverpool have enjoyed a significant support in traditional South-East Asian hotspots like Malaysia and Singapore, which have watched English football for more than 50 years. However, their recent resurgence has helped them in markets like India, China, and Japan, which both started to participate in the Premier League sooner.

Rahul Singh, a Mumbai-based United fan, said, “Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were not just successful again, but they also appeared more cool with the way they played, their stars, and Anfield.”

Erling Haaland is very well-known, and City have just had such a success with Pep. United are not only unproven, but they also lack interest in their sporting events.

Younger fans have turned to other venues as a result, according to Singh.

Why pick a team that suffers a lot to win? “he said.

For those just beginning their sport, there are other options.

Some fans, like those between the ages of 25 and 40 who first followed United in the 1990s and the 2000s, are still there, Bunyavirapan said. However, there are more kids supporting Man City right now.

One of my friends tried to buy his sons’ United jerseys, but they ended up choosing City ones.

Signing an Asian player can help to draw in more fans there quickly.

Son Heung-min, a major star at the club since 2015, has made them the most well-known in South Korea.

Because of Son, “a large number of Korean fans are more interested in Tottenham than United,” Lee said.

Since Kaoru Mitoma arrived, Brighton and Hove Albion have grown to be one of Japan’s best-known European sides.

Ownership of Asians can also influence their decisions. Leicester City has won the Premier League, won the FA Cup, and suffered relegation heartache under the leadership of Thailand’s King Power.

“Many Thai football fans support Leicester as their second club,” Bunyavirapan said. You don’t have to love us like a fan, but it does count as your support for us, according to a campaign called “Leicester’s friend ball.”

United continues to be popular despite their difficulties.

More than Liverpool, Chelsea, or Arsenal, they are still a special club in Korea, according to Lee. Although there are many critics of the results per week, that is actually proof that there is still interest.

And Asian fans still have faith in it.

According to Bunyavirapan, “the downfall started when Ferguson left, and it is now broken, like a building collapsed.”