Indonesian Fans Must Mend Their Ways

By Mohd Shukri Ishak Bernama’s correspondent in Jakarta, Mohd Shukri Ishak shares his take on the happenings in Indonesia. JAKARTA, July 20 (Bernama) -- The 2018 World Cup drew to a close last Sunday with France being crowned the champion. The day before the final match, Malaysia too created history by winning the AFF Cup Under-19 Championship for the very first time. The football competition took place in Surabaya, Indonesia. However, before Malaysia met Myanmar at the finals, the national team had to contend with an unpleasant incident during its semi-final match with the host team. The incident saw angry Indonesian fans throwing bottles and stones at the Malaysian team. This happened after Malaysia defeated Indonesia 3-2 on penalties after the two teams were tied at 1-1. The Indonesian fans also mocked the Malaysian team when their national anthem, "NegaraKu", was played. However, the Indonesian media did not consider the local fans' unsavoury behaviour as "important news". Either the incident did not interest them or they did not want to make an issue of it. Then again, any incident involving Indonesian athletes would lead to extensive media coverage in Indonesia, like what transpired after the Indonesian flag was printed upside down in the souvenir booklet for the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. REGRET All-Indonesian Football Association secretary-general Ratu Tisha Destria regretted the behaviour of the Indonesian fans during the semi-final match at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo stadium and said they should be taught how to respect the opposing teams. "We are committed to educating them (fans). We will continue doing so and will not stop and will never grow tired of it," she said. Indonesia finally issued an apology over the incident. Its Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi made a public apology through an entry he posted on his Instagram account. He also uploaded a photograph of him with his Malaysian counterpart Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman which was taken when they met on July 14. HOST OF 2018 ASIAN GAMES Any immoral behaviour or show of disrespect towards the audience or opponents during a sports meet should not be condoned. Such behaviour will surely be a cause for concern, more so when Indonesia is set to host the 2018 Asian Games next month. The games will take place in Jakarta and Palembang. The athletes from 45 countries who will compete in 42 events during the games, which will begin on Aug 18 and end on Sept 2, will certainly want stern action to be taken against irresponsible parties that try to cause chaos. Imam Nahrawi has promised that the Indonesian Asian Games Organising Committee would act professionally to ensure that the games proceed smoothly. Hopefully, Indonesian sports fans will sit up and take notice of these comments made by Ratu Tisha: "We all know how great the Japanese (football) supporters are… they cleaned up the stadium even though their team lost (in the 2018 World Cup tournament). "But when we lose at the Asian or Southeast Asian level, we don't clear our garbage but we hurl it (at our opponents)." -- Translated by Rema Nambiar -- BERNAMA