KUALA LUMPUR – Violence has once again reared its ugly head in a football match, this time with a fight breaking out among players and referees at a district-level school competition organised by the Education Ministry.
In a 2-minute-20-second-long video posted on social media platform X today, by user @pengadilbola, young players and several referees are seen engaged in a tense situation involving aggressive shoving and verbal barbs thrown among the group on the field.
The video also captured an individual off-screen berating the referee caught in the tussle, asserting that referees “should not hit children.”
However, the criticism was countered by netizens, who claimed a player was the one who had initiated the fight by physically lashing out at the referee while the latter’s back was turned.
The referee was shown being restrained and calmed down by other referees after the altercation.
Keadaan agak tegang, muncul “kapten pasukan jersi putih/hijau” pukul curi dari belakang.
— Hal Ehwal Pengadil (HEP) (@pengadilbola) May 22, 2024
Kejohanan Bola Sepak MSSD, kejohanan rasmi yang dianjurkan oleh KPM utk bola sepak peringkat bawah umur. Inilah masa depan bola sepak kita. pic.twitter.com/VbfLWBm8EP
In response to the post, which has since garnered over 314,500 views at the time of writing, netizens also lambasted the players for their unsportsmanlike behaviour and lamented the local football scene’s future.
The match is said to be part of the District School Sports Council (MSSD) Football Tournament in Kubang Pasu, where champions will then be selected to play at the state level.
“At such a young age, there’s already no discipline. They (players) should be disqualified and banned from entering competitions,” user @Yunusrazip commented, with other users expressing similar sentiments.
Mishaps during football matches have previously been reported among other tournaments, with some clashes resulting in victims being severely beaten to the point of injury while perpetrators were subject to police investigations.
It was reported yesterday that Kesa FC has been fined RM20,000 by the Terengganu Football Association and suspended from participating in any tournaments for two years effective June 1, after it was involved in a fight with NAG FC in January.
An official and six players from the club have also been banned from the sport for six to eight years. – May 22, 2024