Rioting at stadium: Five football fans fined RM2,500 each

Five men, including two brothers, were fined RM2,500 each, in default six months' jail, by the Magistrate's Court here today for rioting at the Shah Alam Stadium last December.

Magistrate Norshakinah Ahmad Kamaruddin made the order against Amirul Akmal Nooradzhar, 23, Zulhelmy Akmal Zainol Abidin, 28, Muhamad Izzat Mohd Khir, 26, and brothers Mohd Aminuddin Hamdan, 35, and Noor Hadi, 30.

All of them paid the fine.

They had pleaded guilty to a charge of rioting at the stadium during the first leg semi-final of the AFF Suzuki Cup between Malaysia and Vietnam.

They were charged with a few others still at large with committing the offence by attacking the Vietnam supporters who were seated at the Quadrant Area in the Shah Alam Stadium at 9.50pm on Dec 7 last year.

They were charged under Section 147 of the Penal Code provides an imprisonment for up to two years or fine or with both, if found guilty.

The prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Rustam Sanip, while lawyer Muhammad Hidhir Mustapa represented Amirul Akmal and Zulhelmy Akmal, lawyer M. Hafiz Zainol Abidin appeared for the two brothers, and lawyer Nik Mohamed Ikhwan Nik Mahamud represented Muhamad Izzat.

Earlier during mitigation, the lawyers requested the court to impose fine on their clients as they were still young and had a bright future.

The accused were also said to have surrendered themselves to the police as soon as their photographs were published in the newspapers and posted on social media.

The (accused) were at the wrong place at the wrong time, said the lawyers. In the incident on Dec 7 last year, a group of supporters of the Harimau Malaya team, disappointed with Malaysia's defeat of 1-2 to Vietnam, was said to have provoked and hurled objects at Vietnam supporters.