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FAM: We won on flair, not flares

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia beat Indonesia in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup final first leg match “on merit” and not because fans distracted the Indonesian players, says FA of Malaysia (FAM) general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad.

He said Malaysia only started scoring after the fans were warned that the match would be suspended if they continued to use laser light beams to distract the players.

“There were no disturbances after the warning. That was when Malaysia scored,” he said yesterday.
On Sunday night, some fans had used laser light beams to distract Indonesian players by shining them on their faces during the match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia beat Indonesia 3-0 in the match.

The game was stopped for six minutes after 53 minutes of play when the Indonesians protested against fans distracting them.

Although he admitted that the fans’ behaviour was wrong, Azzuddin said Malaysian football fans were generally well-behaved and disciplined.

“We have a few black sheep but it doesn’t mean everybody is bad,” he said, adding that items such as laser light beams were banned from football matches.

“But if you have a crowd of 85,000, it is difficult to conduct checks as laser lights can be as small as half the size of a cigarette,” Azzuddin said.

He added that the FAM would discuss how to stop such items from being brought into stadiums in January.
Famemas Supporters Club chairman Lee Hui Seng said Malaysia deserved to win as the team played with more determination, teamwork and skills.

However, Lee said the fans should not have misbehaved as it created a negative impression on Malaysia as host.

“We may not get a chance to host any future events if the fans’ behaviour gets out of hand. If we win, we must win gracefully,” he said.

Olympic Council of Malaysia deputy president Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan said the fans’ actions should not be condoned.

A fan known only as Zapa, who was at the game, said the fans who used the laser light beams only targeted the Indonesian goalkeeper.



By YUEN MEIKENG and FARIK ZOLKEPLI
newsdeak@thestar.com.my

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