{
  "id": 13016288,
  "title": "From football meme to boycott calls: Why Indonesian grooming brand Kahf is facing backlash in Malaysia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/from-football-meme-to-boycott-calls-why-indonesian-grooming-brand",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-09T03:19:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2026/10/09/from-football-meme-to-boycott-calls-why-indonesian-grooming-brand-kahf-is-facing-backlash-in-malaysia/238351"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 5, Indonesian men's grooming brand Kahf sparked a social media controversy after posting a football-themed meme on its official Threads account. The meme celebrated Indonesia's victory in the inaugural Fifa Asean Cup, featuring the Indonesian flag alongside those of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and other countries. The image conveyed the message \"Careful, different levels,\" implying a superiority over regional neighbours.\n\nKahf's post immediately drew criticism from Malaysian social media users who interpreted it as belittling Indonesia's neighbours. The backlash soon escalated into calls for a boycott of Kahf products in Malaysia, with the hashtag #BoikotKahf trending online. Some users even shared videos of themselves discarding Kahf products.\n\nIn response to the criticism, Kahf issued a public apology on Threads, acknowledging that the content was inappropriate and did not reflect the brand's values of respect. However, the controversy continued to generate debates on national pride, respect, and brand engagement with audiences online. Indonesian actor Boy Hamzah suggested a boycott would have little impact due to Malaysia's smaller population, while Malaysian celebrities Alif Satar and Sharnaaz Ahmad distanced themselves from the offensive content, urging respect for cultural differences.\n\nKahf subsequently removed the post and pledged to demonstrate its commitment to better actions. The brand's fate lies in whether it can regain the trust of Malaysian consumers, and the controversy highlights the risks associated with using sporting rivalries to engage audiences on social media.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — What began as a football meme celebrating Indonesia’s victory in a regional tournament...",
  "key_points": [
    "Kahf's meme sparked controversy after celebrating Indonesia's Asean Cup victory with Malaysia's flag",
    "Malaysian social media users criticized Kahf's post as belittling Indonesia's neighbours"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The controversy forces Kahf to scramble to regain trust with Malaysian consumers, highlighting the perils of leveraging sports rivalries in social media engagement, and underscores brands' need to respect cultural differences.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}