Syed Saddiq to discuss with Indonesia on safety of national athletes

KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will hold a discussion with the relevant authorities following the provocations caused by Indonesian fans after the semi-final of the 2018 Asean Football Federation's (AFF) Under-19 Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia yesterday.
Its Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the ministry viewed the incident seriously as it involved the safety of the national athletes.
"I am scheduled to leave tonight on a working visit to Indonesia and will take the opportunity to meet and discuss with them (relevant authorities) on the matter.
"This is important as the Malaysian contingent will be in Indonesia for the 18th Asian Games in August. The Indonesian authority has promised to improve the safety aspects ahead of the final match and to take action against irresponsible parties," he said in a statement today.
In the match between Malaysia and Indonesia at the Gelora Delta Stadium, Sidoarjo last night, the Harimau Muda squad faced tense moment when they were attacked with stones and bottles by Indonesian fans shortly after the referee blew the final whistle.
The incident led to the Malaysian team being escorted by security officers to get out of the stadium.
The Indonesian fans were unhappy and angry after the Malaysians beat the Indonesian team 3-2 on penalties. The two teams were tied at 1-1 after extra time.
Malaysia will meet Myanmar in the AFF Under-19 Cup final tomorrow.
Syed Saddiq assured that the ministry would ensure that the national contingent would always abide by the rules and regulations in sports and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship.
Meanwhile, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi when contacted by Bernama said that the FAM was considering sending a protest letter to the AFF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ensure no recurrence of such incident.
Mohd Yusoff said he would discuss the matter with FAM secretary-general, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who would begin his duties as the new president of the national football parent body tomorrow.
"The incident should not have happened as it can cause fear among the players to play in Indonesia and affect their performance given that more tournaments will be held in that country including the Asian Games and the 2018 AFF Cup 2018...it can cause discomfort and it is unfair to our players," he added.
Hamidin in a statement issued today said he had contacted Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) president Joko Driyono who then promised to increase the level of safety control of the national squad during their training session today as well as at their hotel.
He said based on the information received, the incident took place while the U-19 national squad were trying to enter the tunnel to get to their dressing room, however, the chaos was successfully controlled by the authorities, and the players, as well as team officials, did not sustain any injury.
"Joko Driyono, representing PSSI also apologised for the unfortunate incident. I have also contacted FAM vice president, Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan who is also the U-19 national squad manager as well as our team officials in Surabaya.
"We will wait for the report from the match commissioner and the referee before taking any further actions on the incident," he said. — Bernama