‘It had to be done,’ Ultras Malaya says amid probe on ruckus at Malaysia-Saudi match

KUALA LUMPUR — Ultras Malaya appears to have admitted to having had something to do with the chaos that prematurely ended Malaysia’s World Cup qualifying match against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night, as the hardcore local football support group took to Twitter to justify the incident.

Posting under the handle @ultrasmalaya07, the group was apologetic to football fans in both countries but argued that they have gone through all the “proper channels” to demand reform in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), to no avail.

“Sorry players. Sorry Malaysian. Sorry Saudi Arabian. But it have to be done,” the group said in a tweet two days ago.

Ultras Malaya stressed in a follow-up tweet that they have actively voiced out their dissatisfaction over what they claim to be FAM’s dismal management of Malaysian football over the past three decades, stating that they have held post-match protests and demonstrations at the FA’s headquarters and even sent out petitions. “

“You people forgot last year we campaigned #RombakFAM before congress. Pressured FA delegates. Met candidates. The proper channel as you said,” the group wrote in Malay in another tweet, referring to their campaign calling for a complete revamp of FAM during the association’s elections last year.

Eleven individuals are currently being held under remand until tomorrow (Sept 11) in connection with the incident that forced match officials to end Malaysia’s match against Saudi Arabia with three minutes left on the clock.

The 11 are being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting, which carries a penalty of up to two years in jail, a fine, or both.

Flares and fireworks were reportedly thrown onto the football pitch at the Shah Alam Stadium Tuesday night, shortly after Saudi Arabia took the lead with two goals against Malaysia’s one, forcing players from both sides to quit the field.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin blamed both FAM and football fans for the “embarrassing” incident; the former for losing control of their own stadium and the fans for their “wrong” actions.

The hooliganism follows Malaysia’s 10-0 defeat to the United Arab Emirates in another World Cup qualifier game last Thursday, a result which news portal The Star Online claimed prompted the Ultra Malayas to allegedly protest against the FAM.

On Monday, national news agency Bernama reported Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah announcing that he will resign as the FAM president over the national team’s 10-0 defeat to the United Arab Emirates. Dollah Salleh had last Friday resigned as the national team’s coach following the 10-0 loss, while former international midfielder Datuk Ong Kim Swee was appointed as temporary coach. MALAY MAIL ONLINE