Khairy apologises for unruly Malaysians

Minister does his best to undo the damage done by boisterous Malaysian fans who beat up Vietnamese fans at last night’s football match.

KUALA LUMPUR: Far from being an event that would unite the Southeast Asian community, the Minister of Youth and Sports has condemned the group of unruly Malaysians at last night’s AFF-Suzuki Cup semi-final for bringing untold shame to the country instead when they beat up Vietnamese fans present at the Shah Alam stadium.

In an official apology to the Vietnamese fans, Khairy Jamaluddin said, “This is clearly not the Malaysian way. Violence is not and was never part our culture.”

Stating his sadness that “a small number of hooligans” had “tarnished Malaysia’s reputation”, Khairy vowed to bring the culprits to book swiftly.

“Given that the photos of the assailants have been widely circulated on social media, I hope that the police will swiftly bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

His apology was also coupled with an official call to the Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Pham Cao Phong, pleading for the safe passage of Malaysian fans travelling to Vietnam this Thursday for the second leg of the Malaysia-Vietnam match.

“He assured me that the safety of Malaysian fans travelling to Hanoi will be looked after by Vietnamese authorities.”

Noting that tensions were still running high, Khairy has told Malaysians that they must be “responsible and respectful” and show the Southeast Asian community “that we can lead by example through our sportsmanship on and off the field.”