TERRIFYING DAY FOR MALAYSIAN TEAM
Indonesian fans throw stones, bottles at players, officials
THE Malaysian football team were attacked by Indonesian fans with stones and bottles in the semi-final of the AFF Under19 Cup at Stadium Gelora Delta in Sidoarjo, Indonesia on Thursday.
The horrifying incident happened after the Malaysians beat the Indonesian team 3-2 on penalties. The two teams were tied at 1-1 after extra time.
Indonesian fans, unhappy with the outcome of the match, showed their frustration by attacking the Malaysian team. More than 26,000 Indonesian fans were at the stadium.
National Under-19 coach Bojan Hodak said the Indonesian fans threw stones and bottles at his players and team officials.
This led to the Malaysian team fleeing to the dressing room to seek safety.
“They (Indonesian fans) threw bottles and stones at us. Luckily we were able to leave the field without injuries,” said Hodak.
Hodak said he was not sure whether the FA of Malaysia had filed a complaint with the Indonesian Football Federation or the Asean Football Federation (AFF) over the incident.
“I am disappointed that this kind of incident still happens,” he added.
Following the dramatic win over Indonesia, the Malaysian team will meet Myanmar in the AFF Under-19 Cup final today.
Meanwhile, security for the Malaysian team will be increased. Following a complaint by the FA of Malaysia (FAM), the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) have assured that they will look into the safety of the Malaysian team.
FAM secretary general Datuk Hamidin Amin said he had contacted team manager Datuk Ghani Hassan in Surabaya on the incident.
Hamidin said security officers managed to keep the situation under control, and no Malaysian players or officials were hurt.
Following the tense situation, the Malaysian team could only leave the stadium almost an hour later to go back to their hotel.
“After the incident, I contacted PSSI (secretary general) Joko Driyono. He promised to increase the security for the Malaysian team when they train, and also at the hotel,” said Hamidin.
Hamidin added that Driyono, on behalf of the PSSI, had apologised to the Malaysian team over the crowd incident.