MALAYSIA: In the wake of a Dec 20 (Friday) altercation between people who were said to be supporters of the Malaysian and Singaporean national football teams, authorities are looking for as many as 30 individuals who were reportedly involved.
A fight broke out at the Bandar Tasek Selatan LRT Station on the Ampang – Sri Petaling Line. The station is a few stops from the stadium at Bukit Jalil, where the match had been held on Friday night.
The match between Singapore and Malaysia on Friday night saw Malaysia getting knocked out of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup.
Both the train and the station sustained some damage, including damage to window panels on the platform and to the train doors. Fortunately, no one was injured in the brawl.
Videos of the fight were spread on social media the following day, along with photos of allegedly Malaysian fans holding the flag of Singapore upside down.
Malaysian fans pose with the Singapore flag after getting knocked out in the AFF cup last night
byu/throwaway_t19 inSingaporeRaw
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Malaysian police say the suspects have been identified via CCTV footage from LRT stations, trains, and the stadium.
The SCMP quoted Cheras police chief Aidil Bolhassan as telling the news portal Scoop, “We have identified the suspects and will be arresting and interrogating them in the next couple of days. It took some time due to the large crowd that attended the game.”
He added that the case is being investigated for rioting and committing public mischief.
The state-owned Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, one of the country’s largest public transport companies, filed a police report at the Sungai Besi Police Station after the brawl.
“Prasarana is cooperating with the Royal Malaysia Police to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure appropriate action is taken against those involved.
Prasarana deeply regrets this incident and will not tolerate any form of violence or aggressive behaviour at its stations or onboard trains,” the company said in a statement.
Prasarana’s auxiliary police team stopped the fighting and took those involved out of the station. /TISG