SEA Games host worried about hooliganism

Security for the SEA Games will be tightened by host country Malaysia, with the two most concerned subjects being hooliganism and terrorism.

Football is given special attention for security, because the risk of violence on the football field is very high. In Malaysia, Shah Alam Stadium is one of four stadiums hosting football matches at the SEA Games, which has had many incidents of hooliganism, culminating in the incident where Vietnamese fans were beaten by Malaysian fans in the first leg of the semi-final of the 2014 AFF Cup between Malaysia and Vietnam.

In 2015, also here, Malaysian fans continued to cause violent riots by lighting flares and throwing them onto the field, causing the match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers to be stopped in the 87th minute.

Malaysian police rehearse for the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: VNA

The closer the SEA Games get, the more determined the host country's organizing committee is to avoid any unfortunate incidents. For football, at the four stadiums of Shah Alam, Selayang Municipal Council, UiTM and UM Arena, there will be up to 3,000 police officers to maintain order and control security, out of a total of more than 8,000 police and security personnel mobilized to protect the entire duration of the SEA Games.

Besides hooliganism, another important issue is that the possibility of a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out. Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said: “We are considering all possible security incidents, so even the military is ready to respond.” Jamaluddin also said that the Malaysian police have organized drills and prepared many possible scenarios to have a plan to ensure the safety of the SEA Games in the most effective way.

There will be about 15,000 athletes and officials from sports delegations attending the SEA Games. In addition, a large number of fans from countries in the region will also come to Malaysia on this occasion. Therefore, in addition to security duties, the Malaysian police are also assigned the task of guiding and ensuring that spectators from other countries coming to Malaysia to watch the SEA Games are comfortable and convenient.

Up to this point, Malaysia announced that it has completed all preparations and is ready for the competitions at the SEA Games.

According to TNO