Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh said her ministry and the national unity ministry were making efforts to ensure Malaysians can enjoy the match.
“May our strong support carry Harimau Malaya to the finals,” she tweeted recently.
Football fans have been outraged because 21,000 seats at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil have been left vacant for being blocked by a stage for a concert by Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou on Jan 15.
The National Stadium can hold more than 84,000. All 59,000 tickets for tomorrow’s match were sold out online in less than 24 hours.
Malaysia’s national team Harimau Malaya will play the first leg of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup semifinal tomorrow against Thailand.
Malaysia advanced to the semifinal as Group B runners-up with nine points after downing Singapore 4-1 on Tuesday, behind group winners Vietnam.
After the first leg in Bukit Jalil, the Harimau Malaya squad will play the return leg at Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani to the north of Bangkok on Jan 10.
If they can overcome six-time AFF Cup champions, the Harimau Malaya squad will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Vietnam and Indonesia in the final on Jan 13 and 16.
The locations of the 14 big screens are:
- Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur;
- Putrajaya Corporation, Precinct 3, Putrajaya;
- Youth and Sports Complex, Batu Uban, Pulau Pinang;
- Meow Garden, Ulu Kinta, Perak;
- MBPJ Park, Petaling Jaya, Selangor;
- Independence Square, Shah Alam;
- Sepang Municipal Council grounds;
- Kajang Stadium Square;
- Tanah Lesen Square, Sungai Air Tawar, Sabak Bernam;
- Paroi Youth and Sports Complex, Negeri Sembilan;
- Restoran Al Marjan MITC, Ayer Keroh, Melaka;
- Kuantan City Hall, Pahang;
- Mydin Petrajaya, Kuching, Sarawak;
- Merdeka Field, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.