KUALA LUMPUR: Croatian Ambassador to Malaysia Kreso Glavac shook hands with French Ambassador to Malaysia Frederic Laplanche when the French scored their first goal in Sunday’s World Cup Final.
The two diplomats were all smiles as they reacted to the match currently being telecast live at Dataran Merdeka tonight.
They were with other dignitaries as well as 5,000 members of the public, who were all glued to the action on the 100 by 50 feet LED screen.
A short while later, when the Croatian team equalised with a goal, it was Glavac’s turn to shake Laplanche’s hand, as the crowd cheered at the turn of events.
Earlier, Laplanche and Glavac joined a few ministers in a kick-off at Dataran Merdeka in the prelude to the live telecast.
Laplanche and Glavac kicked off soccer balls from a stage into the enthusiastic crowd.
Also present were Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abd Rahman, and Works Minister Baru Bian.
Also present were Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Deputy Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, and Batu member of Parliament P. Prabakaran.