A media personnel who recorded a brawl between opposing Malaysia League football teams at the Tan Sri Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin, Johor last night was threatened if he did not stop shooting.

Astro Arena last night published a video in which a man was heard yelling: “ Pergi belakang! Pergi belakang! Kalau tak nak kamera pecah pergi belakang! (Go to the back! Go to the back! If you don't want your camera smashed, go to the back!)”

The 65-second Arena clip uploaded by netizens on Facebook page Malaysia Soccer News shows the threat was uttered after cameras panned towards a brawl which only lasted a few seconds.

Prior to the brawl, the camera shows a bearded man running left and exiting the frame. The camera then pans to the left to catch the commotion and a brawl, but it is not clear who assaulted whom.

Immediately after that the camera pans to the right to show the bearded man walking away surrounded by several other men.

The identity of the bearded man — whose face is not shown clearly in the clip — is still is a mystery but Kuala Terengganu District Football Association (T-Team), on its official Facebook page, claims two association members were assaulted.

T-Team claims Brazilian import Evaldo Gonçalves sustained a bloody nose after being punched in the face while the team's fitness instructor Stefano Impagiazzo was kicked in the groin by a member of “JDT's higher management”.

In a Facebook posting at about 12pm today, T-Team coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah said Gonçalves and Impagiazzo will undergo a medical check-up before lodging a police report.

Meanwhile, Sinar Harian reported that T-Team decided not to proceed with the second half of the match for safety reasons.

“I was informed the incident happened in front of the eyes of assistant coach Azlan Johar,” T-Team executive director Ab Rasid Jusoh was reported as saying.

FAM to meet tomorrow

Match commissioner Zainal Mukri reportedly said that he will submit a report on the suspended match to the Footbal Association of Malaysia (FAM).

According to FAM regulations, a rematch will only involve the remainder of the match which had been postponed. JDT was leading 2-1.

FAM secretary-general Hamidin Mohd Amin told TV1 this afternoon that a meeting will be called on the matter on Monday morning.

TV1 in its 1pm bulletin also screened the Astro Arena clip.

JDT has not made any statements on the matter.

The team has strong connections to the palace, with Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Idris Sultan Ibrahim acting as president of the club.

The incident caused waves among followers of Malaysian football.

Responding to the incident, fanclub of the national team Harimau Malaya stated: " Nadi Arena has published a new video. Astro 's cameraperson had manged to record the incident in the tunnel...When it is seen in slow motion, I think we all know who kicked whom.

"We applaud Astro Arena 's courage (in publishing the video). Congratulations," they said.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, meanwhile, said the brawl is a "serious" matter warranting "impartial" investigation.

 

"It has to be investigated in an impartial and transparent manner. It was a serious incident with many witnesses," he said when asked of it by a Twitter user today.

T-Team stays silent on abandoned match