post-match interviewSpeaking to Harimau Malaya, Selangor captain Nicholas Wee Shen Ming expressed a desire to see Chinese players beyond just the MCFA Cup. "Hopefully Chinese players can play in more competitions, not just the MCFA Cup.”

Also speaking to Harimau Malaya, Selangor coach Ong Mok Hooi was asked if he wished to see more Chinese players in the national team, "If they have the ability! The number one thing is ability. It’s not about being Chinese, no, no. It’s about ability. As long as there is ability, it is good to give the opportunity.”

For me, it calls into question the relevance, effectiveness or indeed the logic of race-based sporting organisations in today’s Malaysia.

Organisations like the MCFA came about in colonial-era Malaya when racial dynamics and indeed representation looked a lot different.

It’s no coincidence that the association and the tournament have struggled for publicity in recent years.

However, there is some precedent for how organisations like the MCFA may establish themselves in the context of modern Malaysia.

Together with its counterparts: the Malaysian Malays Football Association (PBMM - Persatuan Bolasepak Melayu Malaysia) and the Malaysian Indian Sports Council (MISC), the MCFA is an affiliate of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

PBMM organises the historic King’s Gold Cup (Piala Emas Raja-Raja), with the 102nd edition taking place in Melaka later this year.

Like the MCFA Cup, this tournament typically features state teams managed by the Malay football associations in their respective states.

However, there is also a tradition of inviting non-state teams; in 2019, MISC became the first invitational team to win the tournament in 36 years.

MISC notably collaborated with the Malaysian Indian Football Association (MIFA), a younger non-FAM affiliated association to form MISC-MIFA FC, which later became Petaling Jaya City FC and played in the Super League for four years before withdrawing from top-flight football and dissolving ahead of the 2023 season.

So even as I feel proud that we won this year's MCFA Cup, I also feel such race-based sports tournaments are relics of a time long past, and no longer have a place in the world we live in today. The beautiful game is, and should always be, for all.