Slaps on wrist for RI, Thailand in Tiger Cup
Slaps on wrist for RI, Thailand in Tiger Cup
HANOI (Agencies): Southeast Asia's largest soccer tournament will continue in spite of the embarrassing match between Thailand and Indonesia in which both teams tried to lose, it was learned Tuesday.
The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has decided to pull its punches and fine the Indonesia and Thai teams but abstain from taking more punitive action for their shocking performance in the Tiger Cup, a football official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA, late Tuesday.
Ho Chi Minh City Match Commissioner Tan Eng Yoon of Singapore relayed the decision at a press conference in the southern metropolis, according to Tiger Cup spokesman Maricar Mohamed Iqbal.
The result of the "match of shame" will be allowed to stand, Yoon told football officials and reporters. Thailand won 3-2 after a last-minute Indonesian own-goal.
The AFF will disclose the amount of the fines at the conclusion of the tournament, Iqbal said.
Vietnam will now meet Thailand in the Hanoi semifinal. Vietnam hopes of a prestigious victory on its national day, Sept. 2, which was the original date of the Hanoi semifinal.
Eight national teams from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are vying for the trophy, which Thailand won in the Cup's inaugural year in 1996.
The uproar began minutes after kickoff on Monday night, when it became clear that both teams were deliberately trying to lose the match in order to avoid finishing atop Group A and thereby having to play host Vietnam in the semifinals.
Infuriated fans booed loudly and hurled projectiles to the pitch. Many walked out of the stadium early.
After a scoreless first half which rarely saw the ball leave the midfield, the teams showed some sparks of life and began scoring.
The Indonesian team then struck rock bottom with the game knotted 2-2 when Mursyid Effendi scored an own-goal moments before the referee blew the final whistle.
Vietnamese officials immediately cried foul, and a furious head of the Vietnam sports committee, Ha Quang Du, quickly recommended the match be annulled.
The milder decision handed down Tuesday was seen as a sign that Hanoi was eager to calm down incredulous soccer officials and hoped its biggest-ever football tournament would not be fatally marred by the scandal.
But local and international observers said Hanoi may be partly to blame, noting that Vietnam's lackluster performance Sunday in its final first-round match against an outclassed Malaysian side indicated that the host were eager to stay in Hanoi for its semifinal match.
Vietnam won 1-0 but had plenty of chances to score. A 3-0 victory would have left it top of Group B and sent it to Ho Chi Minh City to play the runner-up in Group A.
The Vietnam Football Federation said in a statement it would report the issue to the offices of both the AFF and the Asian Football Confederation.
Thailand's politicians joined football supporters in blasting the country's soccer side for its "spiritless" performance.
"We are Thais, we should play as hard as we can. As I know from the game last night, both teams wanted to be the loser," Deputy Prime Minister Bhichai Ratakul said at Government House.
"They didn't have any spirit."
The issue is expected to be raised at a meeting of the ASEAN Football Federation on Sept. 4.