KUALA LUMPUR – Once again, a football referee fell victim to assault during a match between Rang Hill FC and Tembeling United, reportedly occurring two nights ago in the Jerantut FA Cup.
A 42-second viral video captured an unidentified individual, not wearing a team jersey, entering the field and physically attacking the match referee.
Such incidents continue to raise significant concern within the football community.
Referees have often become the target of aggression, raising questions about their safety within the football landscape and the effectiveness of measures in place taken to address these ongoing issues.
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Speaking to Scoop, football analyst Datuk Richard Scully said that there should be a separate protective code designed specifically for football referees.
He stressed that safeguarding referees is paramount during matches and in maintaining the integrity of the game.
“Referees play a vital role in the game, and their safety should be a top priority for everyone involved.
“It’s so disheartening to witness referees always being targeted by players and fans in the game, and they are not being protected.
“These attacks on referees not only endanger their well-being but also tarnish the image of our beloved sport.
“It’s crucial that we take immediate and concrete steps, and a protective code is needed to ensure that referees can officiate matches without fear,” said the former Penang FC goalkeeper.
Richard also highlighted the role of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in ensuring the safety of referees, as most Malaysian referees receive their licences from the governing body.
“Most referees in Malaysia have to go through FAM to get their licences before officiating matches, and without that, they won’t be able to officiate games.
“Hence, I would appreciate it if FAM comes up with safety measures to make sure that they will be able to take stern actions against any aggressor who assaults a referee in the future,” Richard added.
Responding to the incident, FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram, who chairs the referees’ committee, clarified the authority given to the disciplinary boards of clubs and state leagues to address assaults made on referees.
“The cases of referees getting assaulted fall under the disciplinary board of our affiliates, and we have given them the full authority to take any action towards the perpetrators.
“We at FAM can only intervene if there’s any mis-refereeing done by the referees during games, and a committee was formed to monitor their standard of refereeing and take action on them if it’s needed.
“The disciplinary board of our affiliates are the ones who are supposed to take action on the aggressors if they happen to assault referees, not FAM. That’s the procedure that has been set, and we need to follow it.
“We can only intervene if our affiliates can’t handle a specific case, and we will only take action if they happen to reach out to us,” said Sivasundaram.
The assault took place immediately after the referee blew the whistle to end the quarter-final between Rang Hill FC and Tembeling United, which the former won 1-0, securing their spot in the tournament semi-finals.
The match, organised by the Jerantut district FA, was held at the Jerantut FA Field.
It was reported that the referee, Hafizi Zakaria, lodged a police report at the Jerantut police station after the incident.
Efforts by Scoop to obtain comments from the Jerantut district FA remained unanswered. – October 29, 2023