SINGAPORE - An amateur footballer, who admitted hurting another player in a match, was fined $4,000 by a district court on Thursday (Nov 8).
Sharil Jupri had pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association's Abdul Shariff during their National Football League (NFL) Division One game between his Yishun Sentek Mariners and Safsa on Nov 12 last year.
Three other players Yishun players - Muhaimin Mansor, Hidayat Rohaizad and Zul Feshal - were named as co-accused persons in the statement of facts, but they were not dealt with on Thursday.
According to court documents, an on-field melee erupted in the last 10 minutes of the match at the Jalan Besar Stadium following a substitution.
During the brawl, Sharil gave a flying kick to Shariff's upper torso.
The match, which Safsa won 3-2, had been streamed live on the Internet.
The police were called to the scene that night, with witnesses revealing then that statements had been taken from those present.
Sharil, 24, had already been fined $1,000 and slapped with a 15-month suspension by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in January.
Yishun were fined $5,000 and started the defence of their 2017 NFL title behind the rest of the pack, after being slapped with a five-point deduction. The club will face an added $5,000 fine and five-point penalty if they get into further disciplinary trouble this year.
A total of eight Yishun players were hit with fines ranging from $300 to $1,000 and suspensions between four and 15 months.
While three Safsa players were charged, the club itself received no sanctions. Shariff Shaik was let off with a stern warning, while teammates Al Nazirul and Gerald Ang received identical sanctions of a four-month suspension and a $300 fine.
This year has also seen another untoward incident on the pitch.
Just last month, referee Lim Si Seng was allegedly hit in the neck after he showed a red card to a player in an NFL Division One fixture between Gymkhana FC and Katong FC.
Police were called to the scene, with the alleged aggressor having left the stadium before their arrival. The police said in a statement then that they were investigating the case that was classified as voluntarily causing hurt.
