December 9 – Malaysia’s minister of youth and sports, Khairy Jamaluddin, has apologised to Vietnam supporters after they were attacked during the semi-final of the Suzuki Cup in at Malaysia’s Shah Alam stadium.
Five people have been arrested and Jamaluddin said he expected swift action against the guilty parties. “I condemn in the strongest terms the violence, which took place at the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final fixture between Malaysia and Vietnam at the Shah Alam Stadium last night.”
“There is no excuse for this violent behaviour. These violent fans do not represent Malaysia. My sincere apologies on behalf of Malaysia for the actions of these small number of irresponsible thugs,” he added.
The second leg of the semi-final takes place in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday, and Vietnamese fans are being urged not to carry out revenge attacks. About 1,000 Malaysians are expected to attend.
The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup is the biennial football competition for the national teams of Southeast Asia. The championship is a focal point for nations who generally struggle to qualify for the Asian Cup or World Cup.
Currently in its tenth edition, co-hosting of the group stages took place in Singapore and Vietnam. The Philippines and Malaysia host knock-out stage matches, as their teams advanced to the semi-finals. Reigning champions Singapore were knocked out in the group stages. The final will be played December 20.
Football violence in Asia is uncommon, but there have been increased instances recently in Malaysia, according to former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) vice president Subahan Kamal.
“Honestly, hooliganism and violence is a worrying thing in Malaysia. The authorities must act fast to prevent such incidents,” he said.
Last week, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fined FAM US$10,000 (RM34,000) for the behaviour of Malaysian fans during a friendly against the Philippines in March.
In September, a Malaysia Cup match between rivals Sarawak and Perak erupted into a riot when 2,000 Sarawak fans smashed cars and fought police after the game.
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