KUALA LUMPUR: A video of a youth football match here recently went viral for the wrong reasons.
The video, shared on X by former national footballer Shazwan Wong @ShazwanWong, showed a grassroots match featuring two teams, one in blue and the other in yellow jersey.
As the match proceeded, the team in yellow jersey was awarded a free kick outside the penalty box.
After hearing the referee blow the whistle, a player from the team took the free-kick while his teammate, who was standing near the opposing team goalkeeper, suddenly pounced on the goalie akin to an entertainment wrestler's move.
The stunt, usually seen on television, caused the keeper to fall on the ground and fail to save the ball.
The yellow jersey team members then celebrated the goal.
What made the incident worse was the referee allowing the goal even though it was a clear foul committed in front of many witnesses.
While celebrating the goal, a player from the yellow jersey team was seen gesturing to fans of the opposite team by placing his index finger on his lips, as if trying to tell them to keep quiet.
The video has amassed more than 307k views and received almost 1,000 shares.
The incident has raised questions about refereeing standards in local matches and what sports officials are trying to teach youths.
X users criticised the referee and urged the blue team to lodge a report with the organiser of the match.
One X user, Shahrom Kalam, commented that this was not sports development but a stunt usually seen in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment programme). Another user, Sab @sabmeen, was curious about what the referee saw.
Kylox @ZrlNdzr said he was shocked to see such behaviour at a grassroots game. Hasif Yusof @HASIF225 said that despite their young age, the players displayed a lack of sportsmanship. Instead, he said they should be taught discipline and a good attitude.
Another user, bromin @syahmiperry, called for the referee to be sacked as even at a youth-level game, he seemed to be doing his job with a casual attitude.
