KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28, 2010 (AFP) - Malaysia's sports minister Monday said he was upset at "unsporting" football fans who aimed laser beams at Indonesian players during an ASEAN Football Championships match which Malaysia won 3-0.
Malaysian fans among the 100,000-strong crowd at the national stadium in Kuala Lumpur late Sunday reportedly aimed laser beams at Indonesian players, forcing the game to be halted after 53 minutes.
The Indonesian players walked off the pitch in protest, and organisers warned fans that the match would be called off if their behaviour continued, according to The Star newspaper.
The game resumed six minutes later and shortly after the restart, Indonesia conceded three goals.
"I am upset. I am not happy at all, it's very unsporting for Malaysian fans to do so," youth and sports minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek told AFP, promising there would not be a repeat of such incidents.
"We were worried about a clash between the fans so we have put in place measures to segregate them but using laser beams was rather a new thing to us," he said.
"I am not pleased at all. In fact I was embarrassed in front of my Indonesian guests," said the minister, who however hailed Malaysia's performance as a "big achievement".
Malaysia's victory in the first leg of the championships, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, puts them a step closer to their first Southeast Asian championship title.
Indonesia will host the return match on Wednesday.
