SEPT 2 ― All it takes is one twitch of temper glands for the wild beast to emerge and spark frenzied insanity. Step forward fans of Sarawak and Perak football.
Sarawak supporters have shown the exact opposite of Ngap Sayot (attack and win). They attacked like cowards and trampled on the inspirational battle cry of their state team.
So, Ngap Sayot, that especially fired up Sarawak during their glory days in the 1990s, doesn’t apply to you bunch anymore. You are now officially brawlers.
Perak, you are accused of racist taunts against Sarawak when both teams met in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup in Ipoh. You probably gave the rival fans a reason to attack.
Still, Sarawak you were a vicious, disrespectful and disruptive host in your team’s second leg home game against Perak over the weekend. You took violence into the stadium and to the streets, bringing with it a shuddering climate of fear and unease.
If you are a father, wouldn’t your kids be worried about you? Just how do you expect us to take children for a match our team is playing against Sarawak?
Perakians, if you had spewed racist remarks against Sarawakians as supposedly reflected on a YouTube video, were you expecting a warm reception in Kuching?
Why should anyone accept both your presence in Malaysian football when you have escalated fan aggression? Why would neutrals support Sarawak and Perak anymore? Deal with it Sarawak and Perak FAs.
There are lessons to be learnt:
· Is there a link between substance and alcohol misuse and violence during football games here?
· How is football hooliganism in the country policed?
· Isn’t it time to review the policy of having stewards on low wages to deal with dangerous situations? The trouble at the State Stadium could have been brought under control quite quickly had the police moved faster and dealt with it in the right way.
· Where aren’t there CCTVs at our stadiums to capture images of those causing disorder? Cost factor, most certainly.
We will never know the faces of the majority of the 2,000-odd depraved fans who invaded the pitch. We will never know if anyone actually insulted Sarawakians in Ipoh.
The Kuching skirmish should lay the path for banning hooligans at sporting events for a lengthy period. The hot-headed should only be allowed past the gates after mental evaluation.
A hot debrief has to take place and the FA of Malaysia must have the courage to suspend major football in Sarawak indefinitely.
In 2012, Sarawak was ordered to play four games behind closed doors after fans assaulted a Federal Reserve Unit officer in the stands during a match. The ban was suspended after two games, with Sarawak given a stern warning.
If it can be proven that Perak supporters had taunted Sarawak fans after the final whistle, then the Silver State has to face the consequences as well.
Wait. The FA of Malaysia has yet to appoint a disciplinary committee. And wasn’t it the FA of Malaysia president Tengku Abdullah Ahmad Shah who said: “If people don’t want to accept, what can be done?”
He was referring to the “Love Football, Stop Hooliganism” campaign, players wearing anti-hooliganism badges on their jerseys and anti-hooliganism flags that have been displayed at the start of every game since February.
Tengku, a deeper inquiry into football hooliganism in the country has to be ordered by the FA of Malaysia. If you don’t, Putrajaya may have to move in as public security is paramount.
Would that be seen as governmental interference? Deal with it.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
