Football match brawl: Police arrest 7, including players and team manager

New Straits Times

2 days ago

TELUK INTAN: Police have arrested seven men for rioting during a football match at Padang Speedy here, with a video of the incident also going viral on social media.
Hilir Perak district police chief Assistant Commissioner Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin said the men, aged between 21 and 31, were detained around 11.30pm yesterday at the compound of the Hilir Perak district police headquarters, with all of them admitting to being involved in the fight.
He said the riot occurred during the second half of a Hilir Perak Integrity League 2025 football match between Padang Tembak FC and Jenderata FC.
According to him, tensions began in the second half when a Padang Tembak FC player made a hard tackle on a Jenderata FC player, which then triggered an altercation between the two teams.
"The situation became heated and uncontrollable when one of the players was punched, leading to a full-blown physical brawl involving players from both teams.
"Amid the chaos, two male spectators, believed to be supporters, climbed over the fence and entered the field — one of them attempted to kick a player, which led to retaliation and a scuffle between players and spectators," he said.
Bakri added that the situation escalated when a team manager punched the central referee in the ribs.
"While trying to break up the fight, the central referee fell to the ground, and several opposing players also physically assaulted other referees," he said.
He said all suspects, including team managers and players from both teams involved in the incident, were identified based on video recordings and jersey numbers.
The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code, and all those arrested are being remanded until this Sunday.