This Saturday, there would be a very rare and special thing happening at the Sarawak Stadium Square in Petra Jaya the a bunch of die-hard collectors of the Sarawak FA jersey displaying their gigantic collection as part of the ‘Sarawak Glory Carnival’ organized by the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS).
With some of the collectors flying in from West Malaysia, specially to display ‘antic’ collections, we managed to meet up and talk to R.S. Iskandar, one of the collectors for a brief yet nostalgic interview.
Here’s how our brief interview went.
SC: How excited are you about displaying your collection this Saturday?
RS: Very excited as this is the first time I will display my collection at my hometown. I’ve goosebumps, but hey, this is my big opportunity to do more for Sarawak football!
SC: Since when did you start collecting your kits?
RS: My first foray into football jersey collection was in 1994 and the first jersey I collected was the 1993 Umbro England away jersey. My first Sarawak shirt was purchased in 1995. The list has grown, apparently.
SC: How much have you spent on your collection?
RS: Well, perhaps around RM7K (for Sarawak jerseys only). My overall jersey collection may have costed me around RM25K.
SC: What is your most treasured jersey?
RS: It would be Ibrahim Mantali’s 2001 Lotto Sarawak match home jersey. It was used at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium during the 2001 FA Cup Final against Selangor (Sarawak lost 0-1 through golden goal) and wasn’t available commercially. But after 12 years, I am proud to say that it is now mine.
SC: What do you think of the Sarawak FA jerseys today?
RS: We can say that we are lucky because StarSport by LSC is a home-based brand, which is why they have full control in designing our kits without having to settle on ready templates as with other renowned brands. Kits are getting richer and colourful, with details on Sarawak motif and decoration being the eye-catching elements over the years. Even non-Sarawakians are allured by our kits. However, the problem is that they (LSC) seem to have made limited communication with the supporters before finalising the kits especially in terms of colours, design, logo, placement of details, pricing, etc. I’m sure that our kits can actually gets more philosophical and cost effective… both generating the sales and combat counterfeits.
SC: Is there anything you want to highlight this Saturday during your collection preview?
RS: All we want to do is share our passion with Sarawakians who appreciate our colourful football history. We believe that each shirt has its story.
SC: Aside from this Saturday, where else have you shown off your collection of Sarawak kits?
RS: This Saturday’s event will be my third; first was during 2016 Lan Berambeh at PWTC KL last October, then recently for TV9’s Scoreboard ExtraTime programme. I am looking forward to showcase my collection if there’s an invitation and collaborating with fellow collectors from other states.
In case you didn’t know, Iskandar used to work with Pahang FA, and is currently living in West Malaysia. He is very passionate about Sarawak football, and follows the team religiously. According to him, he also tried to apply for a job with the FAS, but had not heard any reply to date.
If you are interested to know about Iskandar, or want to see his amazing collection, together with collections from other collectors, head on to Stadium Sarawak Square tomorrow before 5PM.
