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.