The only word to describe Tuesday night's incident at the Shah Alam Stadium is 'shameful'.
The action of some local football fans to let off firecrackers, flares and throw smoke bombs onto the pitch when Malaysia and Saudi Arabia were in action in a World Cup qualifying Asian Zone Group A match was nothing short of a scene from a war movie.
Their action saw Hong Kong referee Liu Kwok Man abandoned the match in the 88th minute to ensure the safety of the players and officials who were on the field.
There was further embarrassment as the incident drew wide coverage from foreign media, especially in the United Kingdom like BBC, Daily Mirror and The Guardian while International news agencies like AFP and Reuters also carried the news worldwide.
Such incidents are not new in the football scene but the magnitude of the incident this time around would leave a major scar on the country's image and Malaysian football in general.
There has been previous incidents involving Malaysia fans, especially a group of fans known as Ultras Malaya during an international friendly between Malaysia and the Philippines at the Selayang Stadium in March 2014, resulting in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) imposing a fine of US$10,000 (RM43,173) on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for poor security.
That incident was followed by another incident when the FAM was fined US$35,000 (RM151,108) due to crowd trouble during the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal against Vietnam at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Dec 7, 2014.
The question is how can banned items like flares, firecrackers and rocket parachute flares be brought into the stadium when all fans are screened by the police when entering the stadium.
Former international Khalid Ali, the brother of current Pahang coach Zainal Abidin said the whole problem was a result of local fans who sneak in such items although the FAM has enhanced security at the entry points.
"To me, such an incident should not have happened. If they want to stage a protest against the FAM, there are other ways and channels," said Khalid.
Another international Bakri Ibni said the FAM and police should be blamed for the unruly behaviour of fans at the Shah Alam Stadium because both had failed to deploy enough security personnel.
"After the embarrassing 0-10 defeat to UAE in Abu Dhabi last week, they should have anticipated trouble here after so much negative reports in the local dailies. They should have been better prepared and alert," said Bakri.
Former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Secretary-General Datuk Peter Velappan pointed out that the commotion by some irresponsible Malaysian fans was due to negligence in the security section.
He said the FAM and also the security personnel should take immediate action against any suspicious fan to avoid any untoward incident.
"There is no security personnel monitoring their movement. For me, it is a total security failure," said Velappan who also served as FAM Assistant Secretary-General from 1963-1980.
National historian, academician and sports critic Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim said the incident was not a reflection of local tradition or culture but because the current generation are adopting foreign culture.
Bernama
Thu Sep 10 2015
The question is how can banned items like flares, firecrackers and rocket parachute flares be brought into the stadium when all fans are screened by the police when entering the stadium.
Kes COVID-19 Singapura naik hampir dua kali ganda
Untuk melindungi kapasiti katil hospital dan sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga, hospital awam diminta mengurangkan kes pembedahan elektif yang tidak mendesak dan memindahkan pesakit yang sesuai ke kemudahan penjagaan seperti Kemudahan Penjagaan Peralihan atau di rumah melalui Mobile Inpatient Care@Home.
Faisal Halim tunjukkan kesembuhan positif - Adam Adli
Pemain sayap sensasi Harimau Malaya dan Selangor FC Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim atau lebih dikenali sebagai Faisal Halim, kini menunjukkan tanda-tanda kesembuhan yang positif.
APEC harus tetapkan gaji minimum - MITI
Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia Pasifik (APEC) harus secara kolektif mewujudkan penetapan gaji standard untuk mencegah kadar gaji tidak sesuai yang memberi kesan kepada golongan wanita.
Malaysia, Uzbekistan akan tingkatkan kerjasama ekonomi - Tengku Zafrul
Malaysia dan Uzbekistan akan memperbaharui komitmen mereka untuk mengukuhkan hubungan ekonomi sempena hubungan diplomatik selama empat dekad, kata Menteri Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Kestabilan politik bawa pembangunan dan kemajuan di Sarawak - TPM Ahmad Zahid
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata kestabilan politik telah membawa banyak pembangunan dan kemajuan di Sarawak.
AWANI Ringkas: Faisal Halim tunjuk perkembangan positif
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Kerjasama Malaysia-Uzbekistan tawar potensi amat besar - PM Anwar
Kerjasama antara Malaysia dan Uzbekistan menawarkan potensi amat besar yang boleh mentransformasikan dan memodenkan pembangunan ekonomi kedua-dua negara serta menarik pelaburan, kata Perdana Menteri D
Warga emas tunai haji selepas lima kali terima 'jemputan'
Walaupun tanpa peneman, namun ia tidak menghalang dirinya daripada menjadi Duyufurrahman (tetamu Allah) bagi musim haji 1445H/2024.
Pemimpin Israel berpecah kerana tadbir urus Gaza pasca perang
Netanyahu juga berada di bawah tekanan Washington untuk mengakhiri konflik dengan segera.
Haji: Petugas media main peranan penting tangkis berita tidak benar
Perkara itu perlu bagi memberi gambaran sebenar apa yang berlaku di Tanah Suci kepada rakyat Malaysia.
Jangan ganggu polis teliti siasatan - FAM
Setiausaha Agung FAM Datuk Noor Azman Rahman menasihatkan mana-mana pihak supaya tidak membuat kenyataan yang boleh menghangatkan lagi keadaan.
FAM pertimbang wujudkan kembali program Harimau Muda
Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) sedang melihat potensi untuk mewujudkan kembali program Harimau Muda antaranya bertujuan sebagai platform kesinambungan kepada pembangunan pemain muda negara.
FAM perlukan lagi sokongan kerajaan - Hamidin
Presiden Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin berkata badan induk itu memerlukan lagi sokongan daripada kerajaan terutama dalam memajukan bola sepak negara.
Piala Belia: FAM pandang serius insiden gaduh aksi Melaka, Sri Pahang
FAM sudah terima laporan lengkap kejadian yang disifatkan sebagai tidak beradab itu dan akan menentukan bentuk hukuman sewajarnya.
MFL diminta pertingkat kawalan keselamatan di stadium, tempat penginapan
Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) meminta Liga Bola Sepak Malaysia (MFL) meningkatkan tahap keselamatan pemain ketika pergi dan pulang dari stadium.
Hormat keputusan Selangor FC tidak hadir Piala Sumbangsih - Zainal Abidin
Legenda bola sepak negara, Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan meminta semua pihak menghormati keputusan Selangor FC untuk tidak hadir bagi meneruskan perlawanan Piala Sumbangsih.
Pan-gon turut ambil langkah berjaga-jaga
Pan-gon memahami situasi yang berlaku selain FAM juga akan mengambil langkah keselamatan sewajarnya terutama pada kem latihan pusat pada Jun.
Saifuddin nafi pengurusan tertinggi FAM bakal jadi sasaran serangan
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail menafikan dakwaan bahawa pengurusan tertinggi Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) bakal jadi sasaran serangan.
FAM tingkat kawalan keselamatan pemain Harimau Malaya semasa tugasan rasmi
Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) akan memastikan kawalan keselamatan terhadap barisan pemain kebangsaan dipertingkatkan sepanjang tugasan rasmi bersama skuad Harimau Malaya.
FAM penuhi permintaan Pan-gon
Permintaan Kim Pan-gon yang mahu penerbangan sewa khas untuk ke Kyrgyzstan juga telah ditunaikan oleh FAM.