A football-loving uncle, Diego Maradona and a 20-year wait led Malaysian Sivan John to fall in love with Huddersfield Town, writes Jonas Giaever.
The 35-year-old – from Klang, in the state of Selangor – had never previously found a team close to his heart, but that changed dramatically when he visited his uncle in Huddersfield four years ago.
He explained: “It all started in 2011 when I went to visit my uncle, who I had not seen in almost 20 years,” said Sivan, who has followed the Terriers ever since.
“This is the uncle who is responsible for introducing me to the game of football. It was a video of the 1986 World Cup in México in which Argentina faced England.
“He wanted me to love the game, to enjoy the game like he does, so he wanted me to watch that match (it was the infamous Hand of God game).
“And of course, I fell in love with the game and I fell in love with the player that scored two amazing goals – Diego Maradona.”
The two of them lost contact, but when they met up again it was with the intention of attending several matches in England.
“The Premier League is very popular in Malaysia, talking about clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, and they have legions of fans here, but I was not able to go and watch any Premier League games,” he said.
“So instead, why wouldn’t we go watch Huddersfield Town?”
That weekend in August Town played Wycombe Wanderers at the John Smith’s Stadium and ran out 3-0 winners.
Following a wonderful afternoon, Sivan was hooked on the team in blue and white stripes.
“It was an amazing afternoon. Nice and sunny, Town won the game 3-0, so from that moment on I realised that I had never really had a club that I had supported all of my life,” he explained.
“But if it was going to be one, why not this one? After all, it was my first experience in an English stadium, watching an English team and with the same uncle who was responsible for me falling in love with football.”
In a country in which the Premier League is dominating, Sivan admits there have been a few eyebrows raised by other football fans.
When acquiring his first Town kit last November, he turned a few heads when going in for ‘dress-down’ Fridays at the insurance firm where he works.
“On Fridays, at the office, you are allowed to wear casual clothing, so I usually wear a football kit,” he added.
“And the first Friday I went in with my Huddersfield Town kit on it raised a lot of questions. Who is this team? Where are they from?
“Because here they had never heard of them or where they are from, the reaction was interesting to see.”
Despite living in Malaysia, Sivan follows Town as closely as he can. He often experiences trouble finding a live stream of the match, as they are not always on TV in Malaysia, but he has connected with other Town fans on social media.
“The best way to follow Huddersfield from Malaysia is always social media,” said Sivan.
“Huddersfield Town is considered to be one of the clubs that are very active on Twitter, as well as having plenty of Town bloggers who post what has been going on game after game, so I always keep in touch with them.”
Though he is outnumbered by fans supporting the more glamorous Premier League sides, Sivan is quick to remind people of Town’s history, and the feat they managed which other sides have replicated since.
“I always like to remind these people, because sometimes I think people need an education in football, that before your big teams now, your Man Uniteds, your Liverpools, your Arsenals, we were the first club to be English champions three times in a row,” he points out.
“We set the standard for the other teams to follow. I love reminding them about that, and throw a bit of banter against all of these Premier League clubs,
“Especially towards among Chelsea and Man City fans. I say: “Well, you may have all the money now, but you still haven’t won three titles in a row like we have.”
