From ASEAN To Anfield: Tengku Zafrul, Sami Hyypiä Share Light Moment

By Ahmad Erwan Othman

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) dinner brought together Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Liverpool FC legend Sami Hyypiä, marking a unique convergence of economics and sports diplomacy.

A 30-minute fun session mixed with football trivia and inspiring talks on leadership, teamwork and resilience between Tengku Zafrul and Hyypiä, who is now Liverpool Football Club ambassador, was moderated by Standard Chartered Malaysia chief executive officer (CEO) Mak Joon Nien.

On his career choice were he not a minister or banker, Tengku Zafrul quipped: "I would be playing football to help Manchester United," drawing laughter and applause from the audience.

He also compared high-level trade negotiations to the tension of a penalty shootout. “At times, ignorance is bliss. What matters most is preparation and having the right team around you to mitigate challenges when they arise,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hyypiä, who captained Liverpool to the famous 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul, Turkiye, reflected on the lessons from that comeback victory.

“No one really believed we could overturn a 3-0 deficit at half-time, but it showed me that even when you don’t believe, if you put in the effort, miracles can happen,” he said.

The exclusive evening at the ASEAN Green Shift Forum was held in conjunction with the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) meeting here today.

The forum was jointly organised by ASEAN-BAC Malaysia and Standard Chartered with support from knowledge partners Yinson Holdings Bhd and the Malaysia Carbon Market Association.

Also present were Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong, MITI Secretary-General Datuk Hairil Yahri Yaacob, United States Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan, ASEAN-BAC Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Nazir Razak, ASEAN economic ministers, industry leaders and international delegates.

Hyypiä, also a UEFA Champions League winner, added a special touch to the evening, with fans bringing along club merchandise for his signature.

The dinner highlighted ASEAN-BAC’s role in fostering business connectivity while leveraging cultural and sporting icons to create lasting people-to-people ties.

-- BERNAMA