Bahrain’s national football team has decided not to play a World Cup qualifying match in Indonesia because they want to keep their players safe.
The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) explained that the decision comes after Bahraini players received death threats from Indonesian fans following a controversial 2-2 draw last week.
According to the BBC, the BFA has asked FIFA to move the March match out of Indonesia to ensure the team’s safety.
The controversy started when Bahrain scored an equalizing goal in the 99th minute, even though the Indonesian players thought the game was supposed to end after 96 minutes. This led to strong protests from Indonesia’s players and staff.
Some accused the referee, Oman’s Ahmed Al Kaf, of intentionally allowing more time for Bahrain to score.
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) submitted complaints to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the referee’s decision, claiming it was unfair.
After the match, Indonesian fans flooded social media with hateful comments, including death threats against Bahrain’s players and the referee.
Many fans believed that the referee favored Bahrain because they are from the same Gulf region, said the BBC.
The BFA responded by shutting down comments on their social media pages and stated their website was attacked by hackers from Indonesia.
They also expressed shock over the death threats, saying it shows a lack of respect for human life, which goes against the values of Islam and modern society.
Because of these threats, the BFA refuses to let their team play in Jakarta, saying they don’t want to risk the safety of their players, the BBC reported.
Violence among fans has been a big issue in Indonesian football, and in 2022, one of the deadliest stadium disasters in history occurred in Indonesia, where 125 people died after a fan invasion in Malang.
Bahrain, ranked 76th in the world, will next face China in a World Cup qualifying match, while Indonesia, ranked 129th, will play against Japan in November, according to the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj4qd9nepyo