Rivalries between football fans is inevitable. But sometimes, bickering leads to physical actions and eventually, it’s their favourite football teams that have to pay the price for it.
Last year, an altercation between Perak and Johor Darul Ta’zim supporters led to Perak having to play their first Super League match in an empty stadium. The teams involved also had to break their bank pay a fine because their fans misbehaved.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)’s Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has decided not to punish the teams for their fans actions anymore. Instead, he will punish the fans by merely docking points from the team they support.
“For fans who misbehave, we will dock points from the teams they support. When we dock points, the fans will feel responsible. The teams work hard all season to win matches and get that three points, so docking points will be a severe measure for them. And the fans wouldn’t want that,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
“If we only enforce a fine, the teams pay up and the fans don’t feel a thing. This way is more effective.”
The Crown Prince also noted that FAM has to be careful with this measure, because it could result in fans disguising to be supporters from a certain club, only to sabotage that club.
Do you think docking points will be more effective to curb fans wreaking havoc at stadiums? Let us know.
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