- Indonesian fans tried to ram into the area holding Malaysian fans, sports minister Syed Saddiq said.
- Twitter/@lovemakingjokes
In every match, there will be a winner and a loser, but it seems not everyone can accept being the latter.
Case in point: Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier between Indonesia and Malaysia in Jakarta, which saw the home side losing 3-2 to the guests.
One Twitter user, who posted a video of Indonesian supporters banging on the walls and doors of a compound holding Malaysian fans, likened the scene to one from South Korean zombie film “Train to Busan”.
Train To Busan deleted scene : It proves that an Indognesial zombie is the stupidest zombie ever exist. #HarimauMalaya #WorldCupqualifiers pic.twitter.com/TGFcf8NmBF
— ₵ŘØ₩ (@lovemakingjokes) September 5, 2019
Some of the most iconic scenes in the highly-acclaimed horror movie involve the undead banging on similar walls and doors to get to their trapped victims.
- A Twitter user compared the Indonesian supporters to zombies in “Train to Busan”.
- YouTube screengrab
But the trouble started even before the match ended.
According to Fox Sports, the qualifier match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium was paused just before the 75th minute, due to “fan trouble”. Some Indonesian fans tried to break into the area holding Malaysian supporters, and also threw flares, the report said.
guys please pray for our ekor dekat sana, enough la pakai slogan kitaserumpun tu. enough is enough😔🇲🇾#HarimauMalaya @FIFAcom pic.twitter.com/2jpURw7mdy
— ຸ (@danishharritz) September 5, 2019
First class mentality #HarimauMalaya pic.twitter.com/r6Pg1CWSJe
— محمد إسماعيل (@ir_muhd_ismail) September 5, 2019
One spectator sitting with Harimau Malaya fans said on Twitter that multiple objects were thrown at them, including a phone, water bottles, metal objects and flares.
We were sitting with the Malaysian fans and there were multiple objects thrown at us including water bottles, metal objects, flares and even a 📱
Malaysian fans remained resilient and kept their cool despite lots of provocation. Congrats & well done #HarimauMalaya pic.twitter.com/fSNOvQiY4S
— Kamles Kumar (@Kama7esh) September 5, 2019
Despite the hostility, Malaysian fans were probably not too surprised by the reception. According to The Guardian, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had requested in advance for an armoured personnel carrier to be on standby.
The same report also said that Indonesia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to watch football, with around 70 people killed at or around football games since the early 1990s.
According to The Star, at least one Malaysian was injured during the chaos that unfolded on Thursday.
Malaysia’s very own sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was among the many Malaysians at the stadium.
The Star quoted him as saying that several Indonesian fans tried to ram the Malaysian area after the match. As a safety measure, Malaysian fans had to wait in an area in the stadium for things to calm down before they could leave, he said.
“This is sad, considering that the football industry was supposed to be a medium of unity. I promise I will demand justice for Malaysians,” he reportedly said.
In light of the incident, FAM will be filing a formal complaint to FIFA, the minister said, adding that he would also lodge a complaint with the Indonesian government.
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