KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has taken action against two referees over some controversial incidents in this season’s Malaysia League (M-League).
FAM, in a statement today, said that Mohd Fairuzi Mat Desa, who officiated the Super League match between Melaka United and PJ City FC, had been suspended from match duties for two weeks with immediate effect.
He will also be referred to the manager of Referee Development and Professional Referee in FAM, Nagor Amir Noor Mohamed to undergo a performance improvement programme before returning to duty.
“He (Mohd Fairuzi) will need to start from a lower league and will only be reappointed to referee Super League matches once his performance has been evaluated to be at a satisfactory level,” the statement said.
Mohd Fairuzi, who has been refereeing in the M-League since 2015, was found to have failed to spot PJ City FC player Ahmad Khairil Anuar Ahmad Zamri’s attempt at simulation or diving inside the box to earn a spot kick last Wednesday.
Ahmad Khairil, who is better known as Beto, and Melaka United’s Alex dos Santos Gonvalves, who intentionally threw the ball at the referee’s direction after celebrating his team’s second goal towards the end of the game, have been referred to FAM’s Disciplinary Committee based on video evidence.
The match, held at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium, ended 2-2.
Meanwhile, Mohd Amirul Aizat Mohd Lodin, who officiated the Premier League match between Kelantan FC and Perak FC on March 6, is found to have been in the wrong position in the penalty box, resulting in him being pushed aside by Kelantan FC striker Jack Hindle.
“Although his overall performance during the game was satisfactory, based on the report by the referee assessor, Mohd Amirul Aizat will also be referred Nagor Amir to follow the performance improvement programme.
“(He) will only be reappointed to referee games upon completing the programme and the completion of the assessment,” the statement added.
Hindle, meanwhile, has also been referred to the Disciplinary Committee based on video evidence of him pushing the referee aggressively as he could not make an attempt to shoot because the official stood in his way.
The match at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu saw Perak FC II return home with a 1-0 win.
— Bernama
