Furious Indonesians have flooded Twitter with accusations that Malaysia unfairly won a key regional soccer match after fans in Kuala Lumpur apparently distracted Indonesian players with laser beams.
At least four of the top 10 words and phrases most popularly used on the social network site were linked to tirades against Malaysia soon after the home team beat Indonesia 3-0 on Sunday night in the first leg of the ASEAN Football Federation Cup final.
For nearly an hour, “malaysiacheatlaser” ranked No. 1 on Twitter’s global “Trending Topics” chart. Other phrases used were “Use Laser,” “Curang,” which is Indonesian for “cheat,” and “Support Garuda,” a reference to the Indonesian squad.
The match was halted for five minutes shortly after halftime when Indonesia’s goalkeeper and another player complained that bright green lights were directed at them from laser pens in the 85,000-strong crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Officials then warned fans to stop using laser pointers. All of Malaysia’s goals came later between the 61st and 73rd minutes.
Many Malaysians were quick to defend their team, saying there were no beams shone on the field during the 12 minutes of goal scoring.
“NONE of the 3 goals had anything to do with [cheating]. It had to do with” a weak Indonesian defense, Khairy Jamaluddin, a prominent Malaysian government politician and former deputy president of Malaysia’s soccer association, wrote on Twitter.
However, Malaysians were no match for the Indonesians online.
Indonesia, which has a population of nearly 240 million, boasts Asia’s largest number of Twitter users by country.
Responding to the laser controversy, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the official Antara news agency he hoped Indonesian fans attending the match would support fair play and “not be like Malaysia.”
The second leg of the final will be played tomorrow in Jakarta.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care