World Cup qualifier: Fans throwing flares, Malaysia-Saudi match halted
Astro Awani
September 8, 2015 23:52 MYT
September 8, 2015 23:52 MYT
The match was temporarily halted in the 88th minute after a group of fans known as Ultras Malaya threw flares onto the field.
Malaysia's hope of regaining its honour after suffering an embarrassing 0-10 loss to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 2018 World Cup/2019 Asian Cup Qualifying match last Thursday was disrupted by an untoward incident.
The match at the Shah Alam Stadium between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia was temporarily halted in the 88th minute after a group of Harimau Malaya fans known as 'Ultras Malaya' threw smoke flares on the pitch.
Malaysia was leading in the 70th minute through a goal by midfielder Mohd Safiq Rahim.
Two minutes later, Saudi scored its first goal through Taiseer Al-Jassam, followed by its second goal through Mohammed Al-Sahlawi.
Following the incident, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who was at the stadium during the match, expressed his disappointment describing the incident as 'embarrassing'.
In a Twitter posting on Tuesday, Khairy blamed both the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and fans who threw the smoke flares on the Shah Alam pitch.