Off the wire
• Spotlight: Egypt gas discovery sends shock waves to Israel  • UN refugee agency says Syrians face intensified violence  • Germany, Sweden push for mandatory quotas to handle refugee influx  • Bulgaria calls for urgent solution to refugee crisis  • Fake Chinese princess found guilty over 2 million yuan scam  • Germans with immigrant background have higher qualification: agency  • Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Sept. 8  • 133 Spanish bankers earned over 1 mln euros in 2013: study  • Spotlight: World community speaks positively of Xi's V-day speech  • Update: Iraq launches probe into abduction of deputy minister: spokesman  
You are here: 　 Home

Malaysia-Saudi Arabia match abandoned after fanatic fans throw objects onto pitch

Xinhua, September 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The World Cup qualifying match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia was abandoned on Tuesday night after a group of fanatic fans threw flares and fireworks onto the pitch in a stadium in Malaysia's state of Selangor.

The Star, a local English-language newspaper, said that a group of Malaysian fans known as Ultras Malaya threw the objects onto the pitch during the 87th minute, when the Saudi Arabian team was leading 2-1 against the Malaysian team.

Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on his twitter account that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) lost control of their own stadium. "Fans throwing flares were wrong. Both at fault tonight," he added.

The Malaysian national team saw a fiasco by losing to the United Arab Emirates 10-0 last week. Its coach resigned after the game, and FAM President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah also announced his decision to quit.

The match has been officially abandoned by match authorities, according to The Star. Endi