PETALING JAYA: What was supposed to be a social football match between two teams ended in a brawl, with two people, including a Communications and Multimedia Ministry journalist, injured.
In the 4.30pm, Saturday incident, two teams - Cardiff City Malaysian Supporters Club (CCMSC) and Gajah Perang (GP) - were playing the last 10 minutes of their match when a CCMSC players was injured at the New Camp, Bandar Utama on Saturday.
Dissatisfied, the opposing team players complained to the referee and claimed that CCMSC were wasting time.
CCMSC was leading with three goals against GP's two in the Prestige Cup League 2015 match.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din said on Monday that a heated argument between the opposing team's players and referee escalated into a scuffle when a GP player allegedly slapped a CCMSC medical officer.
"The victim, 24-year-old Mohamad Faris Mohamad Fuad, saw this from afar and quickly rushed to the field to help diffuse the situation.
"Instead, he was stomped on, kicked and punch in the face and body from behind by a group of four or five people, resulting in him suffering serious injuries that required immediate medical attention.
"He was attacked from behind," he said.
Mohamad Faris was rushed to the Sime Darby Medical Centre. He suffered bruises and cuts to his face and body.
One of his teammates who had attempted to help, Muhammad Fitri Jamaluddin, 26, was also injured in the brawl.
"We have called in the organiser and we will summon both parties to resolve this case," Asst Comm Mohd Zani said.
In a statement issued on its official Facebook page on Sunday, CCMSC team manager Danni Rais expressed his disappointment with the lack of professionalism shown by GP.
"We are very disappointment since GP is an official registered football team under the Sports Development Act 1997. We are shocked at the outcome of what was supposed to be a fun, social football game.
"In a effort to protect the good name of our players and Cardiff City, CCMSC has made the difficult decision to make a police report to ensure no such issue happens again," Danni said, adding that he hoped the organisers would take the necessary action against GP.
On its official Facebook page, organiser Prestige Cup issued an apology, revealing that it was waiting for reports from both sides before action is taken.
"We are sorry for what has happened. This matter is not something that we can take lightly. We understand that things are getting hotter, nearing the knockout stage but attitude and discipline must be on point.
"Rest assured our decisions will be fair and not biased," it said.
The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.
