Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has expressed his concern about the safety of his country’s football fans when they travel to Hanoi to cheer on their team in the second leg game of their 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal with hosts Vietnam on Thursday.

The minister also feels sorry for the attack some Malaysian supporters launched at Vietnamese fans during the first leg game in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, he was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as telling Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Pham Cao Phong in a phone call.

Khairy apologized on behalf of the Malaysian government to Vietnam for the incident, according to the Hanoi-based newswire.

Several Malaysian supporters lost their temper and attacked Vietnamese fans with glass bottles, kicks and punches, after their team lost 1-2 to Vietnam in the semifinal first leg.

The two will play the second leg at My Dinh Stadium in the Vietnamese capital at 7:00 pm local time.

Khairy said he will work with the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, and the Vietnam Football Federation to ensure safety for Malaysian fans during the Thursday match.

If Vietnam could not guarantee that Malaysian fans will be safe, Khairy would tell the supporters to stay at home rather than accompany their beloved team, he told the Vietnamese ambassador.

The Malaysian minister said he was at the Shah Alam Stadium and witnessed the ugly post-match scene.

He committed to working with Malaysian authorities to look into the case and penalize the attackers.

In response, Ambassador Phong expressed his concern that Malaysian police and medics arrived at the scene too late to help the Vietnamese fans.

Some embassy officials and the Vietnamese community in Malaysia had to take the injured fans to hospital, according to the ambassador.

Ambassador Phong promised to forward Khairy’s apology to the Vietnamese government and members of the public, while asserting that Vietnam is a friendly country where international tourists can feel safe.

The safety of the Malaysian football fans will thus be ensured, he said.

Many Vietnamese netizens are also calling on football fans to keep calm and behave well to Malaysia in the return game instead of exacting ‘revenge’ for what happened in Kuala Lumpur.

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has described the bloody attack at Shah Alam as “the most violent and embarrassing” incident ever recorded in the competition, The New Straits Times Online reported on Monday.

The disappointed AFF is demanding answers from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), according to the Singapore-based newswire.

The New Straits Times Online also quoted AFF secretary-general Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad as saying that six arrests were made and more fans will be detained soon.

“We are working closely with the police, who have pictures of the unruly fans,” he said.

“I would suggest to FAM that we ban those who had caused problems on Sunday from the stadium for life. One Vietnam fan was taken to the hospital for outpatient treatment.”

FAM has also sent a letter of apology to the Vietnam Football Federation and also to the Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia on Monday.

Thailand will clash with the Philippines in the other semifinal second leg in Bangkok on Wednesday, following their goalless draw in Manila on Saturday.

The finale will be staged on a home and away basis on December 17 and 20.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!