Indonesia and Malaysia met in their opening FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier match. The two sides played out an exciting match on the pitch which was marred by violence in the stands. Indonesia have now issued an apology to Malaysia for the same.
Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi issued a statement, apologizing for the fan violence which took place in the stands of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium during his national team’s match against Malaysia.
“My presence is to convey the apology on behalf of the Indonesian people as well as the government to Minister Saddiq for the supporter [violence] we saw yesterday.
“Indonesia-Malaysia friendship should not be relaxed because of football and of course we will continue to keep this condition good. The supporters who have done damage must, of course, be dealt with by the police,” Imam said. (CNN Indonesia)
Meanwhile, Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, also issued his statement, condemning the incident and thanking Indonesia for their firm stand.
“We thank you for the firm stand of the Indonesian government. I also received an explanation from the Imam who will be sure to take legal action,” said Syed Saddiq.
“We are still close friends and we make sure that our hospitality is maintained. Although firm action will be taken, but we need to work together to resolve this issue together.”
On the pitch, meanwhile, Malaysia beat their Southeast Asian rivals by three goals to two in dramatic fashion.
Indonesia led twice in the match, both times through Beto, only for Harimau Malaya to level things up through Mohamadou Sumareh and Syafiq Ahmad. Sumareh then ran on to a Matthew Davies pass in the seventh minute of stoppage time, following an equally long stoppage in play due to fan violence, and scored the winner.