Sarawak's Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan (pic) has blamed police for the woeful crowd control that led to rioting at the Sarawak-Perak Malaysia Cup match in Kuching on Saturday.
Mawan said the police were not prepared to deal with a highly-charged match at the state stadium.
“Maybe because we are peaceful people (they did not expect such a level of violence),” he said today, adding that the riot damaged the state's reputation.
Sarawak needed to win the match by three clear goals to overhaul the two-goal deficit having lost the first leg 2-0 in Ipoh on August 20.
Saturday night's tie ended in a 1-1 draw and Sarawak were knocked out of the competition on a 3-1 aggregate score.
The match was also fired up due to reports that Sarawak fans were assaulted by Perak fans after the Ipoh tie and a video uploaded on YouTube showed the silver state fans had hurled derogatory remarks at Sarawak.
The Football Association of Sarawak (FAS), reportedly had anticipated trouble for the travelling Perak fans and fearing for their safety, had refused to sell tickets to them.
Mawan, who oversees the sports and youth portfolios and management of stadiums, said the police “need to be prepared at all times”.
“They need to expect this (crowd trouble),” he added.
Police estimate some 2,000 fans invaded the pitch after the final whistle was blown.
They damaged stadium facilities by ripping the plastic seats to turn them into missiles, set off flares and hurled broken bottles, rocks and “air bombs” at police.
Seven police cars were damaged in the rioting outside the stadium, including one which was set ablaze.
Seven policemen were slightly injured and so were scores of fans who were caught in the “cross-fire” or were overcome by the thick smoke of the flames.
Police made five arrests, with four of those detained being teenagers.
The minister, who said he expected to be briefed by the police, FAS officials and the State Stadium managers in the coming days, nonetheless wants the police to come down “hard and fast” on hooligans and unruly fans.
Mawan, who does not think football hooliganism is a culture in Sarawak stadiums, said police and stadium authorities need to consider banning trouble makers from stadiums.
“Ban them if that is the only way to stop them from creating trouble or to stop a return to that unruly behaviour.
“It could be something more drastic, like jail.”
He suggested “a long term” sentence.
“We should come down fast and get the culprits.”
He said the authorities need to deal with the culprits properly and create a general awareness on hooliganism to be intensified.
Mawan also feared the Sarawak football team and the Sarawak stadium could be penalised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for the crowd trouble.
He said he didn't think the riot was the fault of FAS or the stadium management but “if we had violated any guidelines stipulated by FAM, we stand to be reprimanded”.
“You can't escape from the responsibility.”
In April 2012, a riot erupted after a league match at the Sarawak State Stadium and two brothers were charged for causing the riot and also charged for injuring a policeman.
In March the same year, trouble broke out at the end of the league match against Singapore's LionsXII.
The Lions' players were holed up in their dressing room for hours for precautionary measures while the travelling fans needed heavy security.
Sarawak lost the game 1-0 and a controversial penalty decision reportedly sparked the unrest.
- TMI
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