"I'm disappointed, but proud of what we have for the future" - TMJ

Every drop of rain that fell was felt by everyone at the Shah Alam Stadium last night.

The skies were crying with the nation but for Tunku Mahkota Johor (TMJ), Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, he was realistic and was already thinking of the long-term success.

“No one likes to lose. We do not like to lose. No one likes to lose,” TMJ who is also the President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) told the national football players last night.

He was giving words of encouragement to the players after Malaysia lost to Thailand in the Tuesday's match.

READ: Thailand dash Malaysia's hopes of winning 'mother of all gold medals' in SEA Games

“I am disappointed with the defeat. However, as the President of FAM, I am proud of what we have for the future.

“No players should feel sad. You can feel sad. You can feel disappointed. But no one in this room has brought shame to the country. Winning or losing is part of sports.”

“If there is one word that I could tell you, it would be thank you. Thank you for playing tremendously well throughout this SEA Games campaign. Thank you for giving your 100 percent for our country.

“Its is a pride and achievement. This doesn’t mean our journey have ended; we still have a long way to go. This is the time for us to move forward. All of you are still young. All of you are assets to the country.

“What is important now is that we learn from our mistakes. Learn from this defeat and use it as a weapon for our future time,” TMJ said.

The national football squad missed the “mother of all gold medals” after losing 0-1 to Thailand in the final, repeating the history of the 2001 SEA Games.