Ultras Malaya to snub Malaysia vs Thailand final match

PETALING JAYA: Ultras Malaya, the fiery group of Malaysia football supporters, will snub the Malaysia vs Thailand football final at the SEA Games tonight.
In a Twitter post, it said the boycott was a show of solidarity with many of the home fans who could not get the final match tickets due to the SEA Games organisers' decision to not sell them online.
The group will not be lending their voice and support to the hosts, when they take on Thailand at 8.45pm tonight. However, the 20,000-strong ultras group wished Malaysia the best in the final.
In a statement, the group said it wanted to make a statement about the poor ticketing system that has failed the fans.
"Ultras Malaya will not officially open our curva for tomorrow's final match, as a sign of solidarity with our comrades and the other supporters who came from far and near to get tickets, but failed to purchase any because of the poor ticket sale system implemented by the organisers," it said.
The football final ticket sale turned ugly after a melee broke out at the long queues yesterday.
Police were called in to the Shah Alam Stadium after football fans waiting to buy tickets for tonight's final turned unruly and aggressive.
Shah Alam police chief ACP Shafien Mamat said police managed to control the melee and restored order at the scene before the ticket counters resumed sales at about 3.30pm.
"Three truck loads of riot police from the Federal Reserve Unit were also called in to assist in controlling the crowd," he told theSun yesterday.
Scalpers were reportedly selling tickets to the Malaysia-Thailand gold medal match at up to 10 times their cover prices.