FAM to act against clumsy match officials

The FA of Malaysia (FAM) are to crack the whip against errant match officials.

Disciplinary committee chairman Datuk Taufik Tan Sri Abdul Razak said FAM had made the necessary amendment to the rules, allowing them to act against match officials who failed to do a proper job. 

“The amendment has cleared some of the loopholes and we now have the authority to come down hard on errant officials,” said Taufik. 

“All the match officials, including the match commissioner, match coordinator, referee assessors and referees, will now come under our purview.” 

Taufik said he was not amused as the lackadaisical attitude of the match officials had slowed down the committee’s investigations into football bribery. 

“We have found that some of these officials haven’t been doing their job properly,” said Taufik. 

“There have been delays in the submission of match reports, some of which were not even prepared by the person tasked with it.” 

Taufik also said the committee is investigating Negri Sembilan and Felda United for the free-for-all after their Super League match at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi on Jan 21. 

The ill-tempered match, won 1-0 by Negri, saw two red cards brandished during the game and a third after the final whistle.

Referee Azman Jamaludin flashed eight yellow cards (four per team) and red-carded Felda United’s Farid Ramli (first half added time) and Negri’s S. Kunalan (61st minute) as well as Felda’s Hardi Jaafar after the game.

A fracas broke out as the players clashed after the match and the Negri supporters jeered and threw water bottles at the Felda team as they headed to the changing room. 

One bottle hit Felda goalkeeper Mohd Hamsani Ahmad’s face, prompting some of the players, led by Hardi and Hamsani, to climb into the grandstand to confront the fans.

The match also saw Felda striker Yong Kuong Yong rushed to hospital after clashing with Negri goalkeeper Badrulzaman Abdul Halim. The former Kuala Lumpur player is reported to have fractured his ribs and suffered injuries to his kidneys. 

“We will start our hearing on the Negri Sembilan-Felda incident next week,” said Taufik. 

“The media reports from the match indicate that the home team failed to provide enough security in the stadium and Felda failed to control their players. 

“We will look into the official match report and call the involved parties for the hearing. We are not happy with incident and a thorough investigation will be conducted.”