KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin chided a handful of Malaysian fans who injured supporters from Vietnam after Malaysia lost 1-2 in the first leg AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 semi-finals in Shah Alam Stadium, last night.
Khairy said he witnessed the incident himself and apologised to the Vietnamese supporters for the action of the Malaysian supporters and urged the police to carry out an investigation.
“I will ask for the cooperation of the police to investigate this case immediately and act accordingly based on the investigations. These violent fans do not represent Malaysia. My sincere apologies on behalf of Malaysia for the actions of these small number of irresponsible thugs,” posted Khairy, on his Facebook page today.
He was also worried that the incident may affect the safety of the Malaysian supporters who will travel to Vietnam for the second leg semi-final on Thursday. “Won’t the action of (Malaysian supporters) be considered a provocation and pose a safety risk when Malaysian fans go to Hanoi?” asked Khairy.
Ultras Malaya fan club representative Lekir Ahmad criticised the irresponsible action and asked supporters to accept the defeat with an open heart.
He also stressed that supporters from Ultras Malaya were not involved in the incident because they were seated away from the other supporters during the match.
“We were near the scoreboard, which is located on the left side of the stadium while the supporters who caused the commotion were on the right side of the stadium where the Vietnamese supporters were seated.
“I understand that one of the local supporters had ‘assaulted’ a female Vietnamese supporter and I feel these things should not happen as there were also children who had come to watch the match,” said Lekir.
He was also worried that the incident would affect the safety of Ultras Malaya members who will travel to Vietnam to support the Malaysian team.
“We will ask for assistance from the Malaysian Embassy in Vietnam to ensure the safety of fans who travel to watch the match,” said Lekir.
Meanwhile, Asean Football Federation Secretary-General Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad when contacted by Bernama said a show cause letter had been sent to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
“Similar to offences in the M-League, the home team is responsible for the action of their supporters. We have given a week for FAM to reply,” said Azzuddin.
Meanwhile, Shah Alam District Police chief, ACP Azisman Alias said a 20-year-old suspect was detained and taken to the district police headquarters in Shah Alam for questioning later released on police bail.
“A Vietnamese supporter was injured in the clash between supporters of both sides when the game entered the 85th minute, but as a result of swift action from the police, the incident was resolved,” he said in a statement today.
Malaysia lost 1-2 to Vietnam.--BERNAMA