Seriously, how juvenile were those Malaysian fans with the laser pointers at the AFF Suzuki Cup final last night?

Normally, I’d say anyone who’s willing to brave the massive crowd, insane traffic and possibility of violence to support our national football team at the Bukit Jalil stadium are REAL Malaysian fans.

But that doesn’t excuse them from being stupid. I mean, that’s such a 12-year-old thing to do, shooting lasers pointers at other people’s eyes. I have adolescent nephews who’re past that phase.

It should have been a night to celebrate another major step forward for our ever-improving Tigers, but instead, we’re left with a diluted victory and what I’m pretty sure is a foul taste in the mouth for our neighbours.

And what really drives home the magnitude of the situation is the fact that #MalaysiaCheatLaser was at one point the number one trending topic on Twitter, and “HATE MALAYSIA” is still trending. So much for #MalaysiaBoleh.

Okay, some of the backlash on Twitter is a bit exaggerated, especially those calling us “cheaters” -given Malaysia did perform well enough on the pitch to deserve their victory over Indonesia – and those inciting hatred. But who could blame them? We dug ourselves into this hole. Those laser pointer goons knew what the game meant to Indonesians, and yet they chose to mess around.

And now, even if Indonesian fans used the friggin’ Death Star laser on our players in the second leg (in Indonesia, on Wednesday), we won’t be able to complain one bit. Our Tigers will just have to deal with it, even though it wasn’t their fault at all.

They’ve trained all their lives to reach this point. They’ve dreamed for years of being champions for Malaysia. Trust me, I’ve spoken to some of the players, and if you think Wayne Rooney is hungry for success, wait till you see what these guys have gone through in order to represent our country. On the inside of their jerseys, it says “Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku” – the land for which I’ve shed my blood – and those words actually mean something to them. They’ve given blood, sweat and tears to win for Malaysia, and they’ll continue to do so until their legs can no longer take it.

But now that their dream is finally coming true, they’re left having to deal with accusations of cheating, and the prospect of heavy, misdirected abuse when they play in Indonesia.

So thanks a lot for supporting the Tigers, you dimwits with the laser pointers. Now the whole world thinks Malaysians are a bunch of morons who’ve just discovered the wonders of laser pointers. Malaysia Boleh indeed.