G Pavithran scored the winning goal against the Philippines on Saturday, heading in Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal’s cross to send Malaysia into the Asean Hyundai Cup semi-finals.
The 21-year-old has been one of Malaysia’s standout performers in the tournament, having also been named Hyundai Player of the Match in the 4-0 win over Laos.
His goal against the Philippines helped Malaysia finish second in Group B with nine points from four matches.
But the win was followed by a wave of racist comments directed at Pavithran online.
Racist Comments Appeared To Originate From Indonesian Accounts
One comment read “player form banglades,” paired with laughing emojis, and drew multiple replies. A second referred to him as “Rohingya,” followed by mocking emojis.
Comments in this vein appeared to come mostly from Indonesian users, rather than Malaysian ones.
Malaysian fans, however, seemed to be mostly supportive of Pavithran.
Under a post by the Harimau Malaya official Facebook page, one called Pavithran “padu”. Another congratulated him on winning Best Player for the second time, praising his humility and urging him to stay focused ahead of Malaysia’s Merdeka month matches.
A third described him as well-spoken and polite, wishing him the best for the national team, while one more said his discipline could take him far.
New Straits Times reported that Pavithran’s sister urged fans in a Threads post to support the team and leave race out of football.
“Support our players, criticise performances if you must, but never attack them because of their race,” she wrote.
In a separate post, she said the racism shown by some people online was more disappointing than anything that happened on the pitch.
“A player’s race does not define his love, commitment, or sacrifice for Malaysia. The badge on the chest matters more than the colour of the skin,” she wrote.
She also praised Wan Kuzain’s assist as “brilliant,” and told her brother he had made the nation proud.
