Clubs in brawl set to face hearing

SINGAPORE — The clubs involved in last week’s brawl during an FA Cup match at Bukit Gombak Stadium will face a disciplinary hearing next week.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said the clubs — Island Wide League clubs Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (Safsa) and Balestier United Recreation Club (BURC) — had been given until yesterday to submit their written explanations.

“The status of last Saturday’s FA Cup first-round match between the two clubs will be decided by the Competitions Committee, pending the outcome of a Disciplinary Committee hearing to be convened next week,” said an FAS spokesman.

“As a result, the FA Cup Second Round match between Singapore Cricket Club and the winner of the Safsa versus BURC match — originally scheduled for this Sunday, Oct 9 — has been postponed to a later date.”

The match between the clubs was called off around the 85th minute of the game.

Safsa were leading 2-1 at that point of time, but the match was abandoned following the brawl.

Video footage taken from an eyewitness’ mobile phone showed several people — some in Balestier United’s jerseys — chasing a man near the Bukit Gombak Stadium pitch and rounding him up in the spectators’ stands.

The man, in a grey T-shirt in the video, is believed to be Safsa captain Syafiq Siraj, who did not play in the game.

Verbal abuse was being hurled and, at one stage, an eyewitness was threatened for recording the proceedings on his mobile phone.

In a Facebook post, Mr Syafiq alleged that he and his mother were assaulted by the Balestier players and said they have made a police report.

A police spokesman confirmed that a police report had been lodged and investigations are in progress. NOAH TAN