Throw the book at them - Irfan Bakti

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 - Stern action should be taken against the players involved in the fight incident that marred the final of the Terengganu Menteri Besar's Cup tournament between Terengganu FC II (TFC II) and Penang FC yesterday, said veteran coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim .

The incident which happened at the end of the first half at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Kuala Terengganu resulted in the match ending earlier after the Penang FC players refused to play the second half.

Irfan Bakti was of the view that harsh punishment should be meted out to serve as a warning and a lesson to all players and team officials not to get involved in any fights in the future.

He also regretted that such an incident could have happened during the pre-season training period where the teams use it to prepare for the new season of the Malaysian League (M-League).

"It's a shame when during the pre-season there are incidents like this. Fights should not happen, so stern action should be taken to educate the players involved.

"Provocations and aggressive play in football are common and should not go overboard. But if it comes to fights, bumps and so on, it is not appropriate and extreme," he said when contacted by Bernama, today.

The 70-year-old coach said such incidents were not only embarrassing but also gave a bad image of football in a country where the game is played at the professional level, apart from football being a catalyst for unity.

"It's a shame for the team, oneself and the game of football because the whole world will see, not only in Malaysia. Even boys now as young as five years old are interested in watching football, so is this an example that players should show? It paints a bad picture.

"Players have to change their way of thinking because there should be no more fights like that in football now," said the coach of Premier League team, Kuching City FC.

He said if the tournament was sanctioned by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), then the parent body would be responsible for taking action against those involved.

The fight broke out after TFC II players celebrated the success of their goalkeeper Mohd Shafawi Mohamad in denying Penang FC captain Endrik Dos Santos' penalty kick, thus causing dissatisfaction among The Panthers players.

A commotion ensued with players of both teams going after each other, forcing security personnel and match officials to step in to resolve the situation.

As a result, TFC II player Mohammad Ridzuan Mohd Razali and Penang FC player Muhammad Adib Abdul Ra'op were injured.

Mohd Ridzuan was red carded by the referee who later awarded TFC II a 3-0 victory after the Penang FC players refused to continue play in the second half. TFC II were leading 1-0 then.

Irfan Bakti, who was named Best Coach at the National Football Awards 2011, added that the referee's action to end the match was the right decision to avoid the situation from becoming more tense in the second half.

-- BERNAMA