Ex-Malaysian international Hardi Jaafar is widely known around the country for his industrious performances for Malaysia and Perak at the highest level. But over the weekend, his reputation took a wild turn after he was involved in a brawl with a social football team at the Setia Alam Football Field.
The Perak-born midfielder, who played more than 250 times throughout his career, featured for PSA FC in their Prestige Cup group stage tie against Level Up, yesterday. Midway through the match, Hardi was shown his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card for an unprofessional foul.
This is where things got heated up. According to eye-witnesses, Hardi reacted poorly to the referee’s decision before proceeding to stamp on a Level Up player’s leg. His actions drew anger from other Level Up players and Hardi subsequently threw a couple of punches at them, before leaving the pitch. This led to a minor brawl on the pitch, and PSA FC’s manager also opted to get involved.
The referee proceeded to halt the match and play was only resumed when the situation was resolved. After the match, the tournament organisers confirmed that Hardi would be handed a three-game ban for his violent behaviour.
While the news is shocking, it doesn’t come as a surprise, considering he’s been involved in several bust-ups throughout his career. For example, Hardi was suspended for five games and was even handed a RM5000 fine for being involved in a fight with fans at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, back in 2012.
But of course, ardent local football fans would best remember him for the sensational goal he scored against Singapore back in 2007. Here’s a clip of his memorable goal.
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