Game called off after mass brawl involving 40 players in Singapore S-League

A mass brawl involving up to 40 players forced a Singapore S-League game to be called off before it had even started, a report said last week.

Fighting broke out during the warm-up when a player from visiting team Etoile argued with Hougang United team members while they were stretching.

“The entire Hougang team, around 20 of them, surrounded this guy and there was a lot of shouting and shoving,” said unnamed fan. “There were no punches thrown but the Etoile player’s bib was torn.”

Etoile players than ran from the other side of the field to join the melee, as security and team officials tried to stop the fight, said an official who did not want to be identified.

The match commissioner called off the game for security reasons but clashes continued as the players left the field, the report said.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which slapped a gag order on players and officials, promised a full investigation, it added.

The incident comes less than a year after a brawl between Young Lions and Beijing Guoan players led to long bans and fines for 16 players.

The latest fighting stems from an altercation which sparked a five-minute shoving match at the end of Etoile and Hougang United’s game in March.

by Buford Balony

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