Angry mob mars football match at State Stadium

KUCHING: Ugly scenes marked the end of a Malaysian Super League match at the State Stadium here late Saturday night when angry Sarawak supporters vented their frustrations at the referee and Singapore Young Lions XII players following the home team’s 0-1 defeat.

They shouted verbal abuses such as ‘referee rasuah’ (corrupt referee), while some threw objects at the referee and the Singapore players. A few even ripped the seats to protest what they claimed were unfair decisions by the referee.

A big angry mob even gathered at the entrance where players and match officials came in to show how angry they were with the result and standard of refereeing. This went on until midnight, almost two hours after the match had ended.

Good handling by the police’s anti-riot unit and members of Rela ensured no one was hurt. Kuching police chief ACP Roslan Bek Ahmad said about 150 police personnel and Rela members were summoned to the scene immediately after the match. “The incident involving about 2,000 supporters of Sarawak was believed to have happened due to provocations.

We managed to put the situation under control, and dispersed the crowd at about midnight. “There were no arrests made nor were there any injuries reported,” he said, when contacted yesterday. The crowd were said to be very angry with the decisions made by the referee, which included awarding a penalty kick to Singapore which they successfully converted.

Later, the referee denied Sarawak a penalty after a player was fouled, which further incited the spectators. Roslan called on Sarawak supporters to be more ethical next time, and avoid creating a bad impression of the state.

Borneopost