Indonesian Government Apologises to Malaysia After Fan Clash Overshadows World Cup Qualifier

Indonesia have apologised to Malaysia after aggressive confrontations between supporters during a World Cup Asian qualifier left two fans in the Malaysia section injured. 

The Youth and Sports Minister of Indonesia Imam Nahrawi said sorry to his Malaysian counterpart Syed Saddiq Syed after rioting by a portion of the 50,000 Indonesia fans. 

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According to The New Straits Times the home fans also threw bottles, flares and pieces of metal from the upper section of the stadium onto Malaysian fans. One of the injuries sustained was after a Malaysian supporter was struck on the head by one of the bottles thrown, while another broke his arm while trying to escape the chaos. Both men received medical treatment in a hospital in Jakarta.

"In the name of the administration and supporters, Indonesia apologises to all Malaysians for the incident at GBK [Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium] last night," Mr Nahrawi said. "Football will unite us always, and we will take care of our relationship with our Malaysian family forever." 

Mr Syed was similarly conciliatory in his tone, saying: "We want to ensure that Malaysia and Indonesia will forever be together. Don't let a few bad apples damage our friendship."

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Malaysia won the game 3-2 but it the contest was largely marred by the incidents in the stands. At 2-2, the match had to be delayed for 10 minutes because of the simmering crowd trouble.

Fans on social media have implored FIFA to act, with this just the latest incident between Malaysian and Indonesian fans clashing at a match. Indonesia fans were accused of throwing stones and bottles at their opponents at an Under-19s game last year.