Football coaches suspended, fined for altercation in Singapore Youth League match

SINGAPORE – An ill-tempered Singapore Youth League (SYL) match between Balestier Khalsa and the Lion City Sailors on Aug 24 has resulted in their coaches being disciplined by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

In videos posted on social media by online publication The Monitor SG on Aug 25 and 27, players from both teams were seen pushing one another during the game which the Sailors won 3-1. Players on the bench and coaches also got involved, with Balestier Under-17s coach Ali Imran Lomri seen being held back by some officials in a fiery exchange with his Sailors counterpart Jasni Hatta.

Despite receiving red cards during the match, both Ali and Jasni were involved in another confrontation on the pitch after the game.

An FAS review of the incident found that both coaches “acted in a manner unbecoming of their roles as ambassadors of their respective clubs and the SYL”.

On top of the two-game ban for their sending-off offence, it issued Ali a one-match suspension and a $500 fine “for his aggressive conduct and inappropriate reaction during the match”, while Jasni received a suspended $500 fine, conditional on his conduct until Dec 31, for using “inappropriate language that contributed to the confrontation”.

An FAS spokesman told The Straits Times it “takes such incidents very seriously, particularly within youth competitions, where players and officials are expected to serve as role models”.

He added: “As an organisation, we are committed to ensuring that professionalism and respect remain at the forefront of the sport, especially in competitions designed to nurture the next generation of football talent.

“Appropriate measures, including ongoing education and prevailing sanctions, will continue to be implemented to safeguard the integrity of the league.”

For former Singapore international Ali, there were some cold hard truths to face after he returned home and the red mist dissipated.

The 48-year-old told ST on Sept 24: “I shouldn’t have reacted, but I just snapped. I reflected on what I did, and I was ashamed and disgusted with myself.

“As a Balestier Khalsa coach, I have to uphold the club’s code of conduct. As a youth coach, I have to set a good example for my players. In the spur of the moment, I snapped and made a big mistake which I’m not proud of.

“I am sorry and apologise to everyone for my reactions and I will not act like that in the future.”

While the Sailors declined comment, Tigers vice-chairman Darwin Jalil took the unusual step of making a video announcement to impose an additional $1,000 fine, supervised coaching by Balestier head of youth Indra Sahdan, and professional counselling for Ali so that he “does not repeat the same behaviour in the environment of youth”.

He added: “I hope that he will take this seriously as the club would like to give him a second chance in his career as a coach, not forgetting that Ali has actually been a servant with us as team captain before, and I hope that this will be just one isolated incident and it will never happen again.”

Ali, a former left-back who began his career with Balestier in 1998 before earning 12 caps for Singapore, admitted he had tarnished the image of the club and accepted his double dose of punishment.

He shared that he met and apologised to his players on Aug 27, three days after the incident.

Ali said: “I received negative comments, but I’m also thankful for my family and friends who know that I don’t usually react to provocation. They know that this was a bad mistake, but encouraged me to learn from it.

“I’ve learnt to never react to provocation because otherwise, emotions take over and you do things you never intended and end up regretting. The incident happened in the heat of the moment. I believe he (Jasni) had no intention to say what he did, and there’s no grudge between us.

“I will come back stronger and prove myself as a better person and a better coach.”