According to a report from last week, a Singapore S-League game was cancelled before it even began due to a mass brawl involving as many as 40 players.
The altercation erupted during the warm-up when a player from the visiting team, Etoile, had a disagreement with members of Hougang United while they were stretching.
“There was a lot of shouting and shoving as the entire Hougang team, approximately 20 players, surrounded this individual,” recounted an unnamed fan. “No punches were thrown, but the Etoile player had his bib torn.”
Players from Etoile then ran from across the field to join the fray as team officials and security attempted to intervene, as stated by an official who preferred to remain anonymous.
Due to security concerns, the match commissioner decided to cancel the game, but confrontations persisted as players exited the field, the report indicated.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which imposed a gag order on the players and officials, vowed to conduct a thorough investigation, it was reported.
This incident follows less than a year after a brawl between players from Young Lions and Beijing Guoan, which resulted in lengthy suspensions and fines for 16 athletes.
The latest conflict originates from a previous altercation that ignited a five-minute shoving match at the conclusion of the game between Etoile and Hougang United in March.
by Buford Balony
