Tanjong Pagar U-21 footballer punches Albirex Niigata opponent after match, gets arrested

Tanjong Pagar United FC footballer punches Albirex Niigata player in U-21 football match

A footballer from Tanjong Pagar United FC (TPFC) punched an Albirex Niigata FC player at the end of an under-21 (U-21) football match on Monday (10 Feb).

The match, held at Jurong East Stadium, was part of the COE U-21 League and kicked off at 7.45pm.

Tanjong Pagar player punches Albirex Niigata player

In a video of the incident shared by Instagram account @tmsg01, a Tanjong Pagar player — number 65 — can be seen sprinting onto the field.

Another Tanjong Pagar player — number 66 — can be seen running after him, supposedly to stop him.

However, it was futile as the Tanjong Pagar player (number 65) ran right up to an Albirex Niigata player and landed a punch on the left side of his face.

The Albirex Niigata player collapsed on the field, as a teammate signalled to the bench for medical assistance.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator ran away from the scene, with his teammate (jersey number 66) running after him to calm him down.

Tanjong Pagar United FC condemns player’s behaviour

On Tuesday (11 Feb) morning, Tanjong Pagar United FC issued a statement on Facebook addressing the incident.

The football club said the behaviour exhibited by their player did not align with the values and standards of the club.

It also said that it strongly opposed violence and unsportsmanlike conduct.

The player in question has since been “reprimanded” and will face further disciplinary actions.

The club “sincerely apologised to Albirex Niigata, their players, and fans for the incident.

In response to MS News queries, the police said they were alerted to the incident at about 9.40pm.

A 19-year-old was subsequently arrested for public nuisance. The police are also investigating him for voluntarily causing hurt.

In a separate statement, the SCDF said one person was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Netizens react to violence on football pitch

A netizen who saw the incident on social media felt the violent conduct warranted a more serious ban than match-fixing.

Source: Instagram

Another commenter lamented the fact it was a pity for the Tanjong Pagar player to behave this way as not everyone has the “privilege” of representing a football club.

Source: Instagram

Another netizen joked that the football club should rename itself “Tanjong Pagar UFC”, alluding to the sport of mixed martial arts.

Source: Instagram

MS News has reached out to Albirex Niigata FC for more information.

Also read: Thai & Indonesian Football Players Fight During SEA Games Final, Security Intervene & Defuse Chaos

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Featured image adapted from @tmsg01 on Instagram.