KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Kuala Lumpur is bracing for one of the biggest football watch parties in its history, with police expecting up to 300,000 fans to descend on Dataran Merdeka tomorrow night to watch the Fifa World Cup final.
The public screening, which begins at 8pm and runs until the match concludes in the early hours of Monday, will be shown on what organisers say is the largest screen ever erected at Dataran Merdeka, according to The Star.
They also hope the installation will earn a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said authorities were expecting a huge turnout as football supporters gather to watch the world’s biggest match under the city skyline.
“We expect about 300,000 people that night alone. We hope to fill Dataran Merdeka,” he told The Star today.
Fadil encouraged the public, particularly Kuala Lumpur residents, to attend the free screening, describing it as the highlight of the two-day Uniti Merdeka programme.
The event will cap off a weekend of community activities organised by Yayasan Prihatin Nasional in collaboration with Kuala Lumpur police, various government agencies and 13 ministries.
Earlier today, about 2,000 people took part in a 5km community run at Dataran Merdeka, which also featured a lucky draw with a motorcycle as the grand prize.
