FAM remind M-League players to respect match officials

PETALING JAYA: Local and foreign players in the Malaysia League (M-League) have been reminded not to resort to violence, especially towards match officials, or they will be severely dealt with.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram said match officials should be given the space and opportunity to carry out their duties on the field while players must not act emotionally or try to influence the referees with certain behaviours.

He said players would also come under extra scrutiny, including those who like to fake injuries, as FAM clamp down on violence towards referees as well as to raise the level of professionalism.

"Please play professionally, do not push or touch the referees or use abusive language on them," he told a media conference after chairing the FAM Referees Committee at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya today.

"Referees who are found to have erred during matches will surely be punished, the same with players. FAM will be more serious regarding this issue, especially in terms of players' behaviour. So, I hope everyone will cooperate... and stop faking injuries," he said.

Sivasundaram also confirmed that today's meeting agreed to fully separate the responsibilities of football and futsal referees in the country from next year.

This means that beginning from this year, individuals taking the football refereeing licence will only officiate football matches in the future.

Sivasundaram, who is also the FAM Referees Committee chairman, revealed that out of the 99 M-League matches that had been played, FAM only received six official reports from the teams involved.

FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam explained that of the six reports, five were lodged from the 54 Super League matches and just one from the 45 Premier League clashes, so far.

"The reports received by the secretariat involved disputing referees' decisions," Stuart said.

-- BERNAMA