Football debate show Bola@Mamak will come to Sabah

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KOTA KINABALU: Bola@Mamak, a lively chat show in a truly Malaysian setting – a ‘mamak’ stall – which debates the hot topics from the Premier League and world football, may make its way across the South China Sea to Sabah and Sarawak.

Executive producer of the show on Astro SuperSport, Jason Dasey, said they would love to take the show to Sabah and Sarawak in future.

“We are planning to do something in East Malaysia. Try to suggest the best mamak stalls in East Malaysia.”

Jason told the East Malaysian media that feedback for Bola@Mamak is good.

“Bola@Mamak has the energy of its own. We are tying to be the mouthpiece for the fans and give something a little different. We are trying to give a fresh breath of air,” he said.

Bola@Mamak, which is hosted by Roshan Narayan, is currently done at two mamak stalls at Putrajaya and Bukit Jalil in the peninsular.

The 60-minute capsule, a sister programme of FourFourTwo, features a roundtable discussion on the juicy topics in football, which are debated in hot-blooded style. The only difference between the way you might chew the fat with your friends at your local mamak and Bola@Mamak is the assortment of brilliant football brains that make up the show’s eclectic ensemble cast.

Former internationals and Malaysian football identities, past and present, including M. Karathu, Scott Ollerenshaw and 2010 coach of the year, B. Sathianathan have joined media personalities Ross Yusof, Edleen Ismail, Dez Corkhill and Clare Kenny-Tipton for a delightful dialogue that rarely wanes.

Roshan, who was at the press conference, related his experience at the mamak shows.

“The only reason why I like the show is that to be honest it is very brutal. You can say what you want to say as long you don’t swear. It is about your opinion and is not pulling back. Guests have every right as well as the viewers to share or express their points of view. They really say what they want to say. And the best part is that it is not deleted at all.

“And the best part of the show is the honesty and patience that comes out on the set. It gets heated up and they have a goal at each other. My job is to ensure that they don’t got killed,” he said.

“My biggest challenge is at first is my age. People assume you are young, you might don’t know your stuff. At first I was always thinking to myself how do I prove to them I am a football host. What I learnt for the past one year is that I am not a star. I let the audience shine,” said Roshan.

Jason and producer Nicholas John came up with the concept of the show ahead of the 2010-2011 Premier League season, with the debut episode airing on August 11. They wanted to break the shackles of the conventional football TV genre within Asia, which often features stern middle-aged expatriate men in suits sitting inside a stiff studio.

Jason, the host of FourFourTwo, said they would also like to hold a FourFourTwo roadshow in Sabah in the next football season.

“We love to do that but we don’t have a specific date yet. Maybe the next football season in August,” he said.

Jason urged fans of Bola@Mamak and FourFourTwo in Sabah and Sarawak to forward their requests to the Facebook pages of the shows to allow better understanding of the market and needs of the two states.

On the rating of FourFourTwo, he said it was very solid with the large viewership. Last season, FourFourTwo outstripped its competitors by three to one.

Commenting on the Malaysian League, he said the standard had been improving with the commitment of Astro Arena to support the telecast of matches.

“It is all about creating heroes and increasing awareness. When we see Malaysian matches live on Astro Arena, it really helps,” said the accomplished journalist, writer and editor who has a soft spot for the Sabah team.

“They (Rhinos) are going tough in the league but I am confident they will stay up.”

Can Sabah win the league?

“Not this year but why not? We are seeing smaller teams coming up. We like to have a little of Malaysian football games in the mamak show.

“I want to see Sarawak promoted and Sabah stay up in the league so that they are in the Super League next season,” he added.

Lee Choong Khay, Head of Sports at Astro, disclosed that when the next soccer season resumes, all the studio shows, including the Bola@Mamak, will be in high definition.

“We are trying to produce world class soccer to cater to Malaysian taste.

“Sport is a key property for Astro. Since the last World Cup, we brought in a lot of first HD and 3D broadcasts, even the Premier League. We place very special emphasis on sport. We can look at our evolution. We are investing more and more of our resources into doing our sport production right now,” said Lee.