19-year-old footballer arrested after punching incident at Singapore Premier League Under-21 match

SINGAPORE – A 19-year-old player from Tanjong Pagar United was arrested after punching two Albirex Niigata footballers at the end of a Singapore Premier League (SPL) Under-21 League game at the Jurong East Stadium on Feb 10.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Police Force said that at about 9.40pm on Feb 10, it received a call for assistance at 21 Jurong East Street 31. “A 20-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital. A 19-year-old man was subsequently arrested for public nuisance and is also being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt,” said its statement.

“Police investigations are ongoing.”

In videos filmed by spectators at the stadium and posted online, Tanjong Pagar midfielder Aniq Rizqin, 19, is seen throwing a punch at Albirex defender Sim Jun Yen, 17, during the post-match handshakes. Albirex defender Kenji Austin Ho, 20, then intervenes by pushing Aniq away but seconds later the latter sprints towards Ho to land a blow on his face, leaving the player motionless on the ground as teammates pull Aniq away.

ST understands that Ho has no memory of the incident, but medical checks showed that there was no fracture or bleeding in the brain.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at the Jurong East Stadium at about 10pm on Feb 10 and that one person was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a statement that the player was discharged on Feb 11.

The national sports association added that it is investigating the incident.

In a social media post on Feb 11, Albirex wrote: “We have conducted our own investigation and are pleased to report that none of our players, including Ho, and team staff were involved in any retaliatory actions. They have behaved in a dignified manner throughout the incident.”

According to a club official who was present at the match, but who declined to be named, a red card was handed out to a Tanjong Pagar player during the game but the tie – which ended 3-2 to Tanjong Pagar – had not been an ill-tempered affair, until the post-match handshakes.

In a statement on Facebook, Tanjong Pagar apologised to Albirex, their players and fans for the incident. The club added: “The actions displayed by our player do not reflect the values and standards of our club. We do not condone violence and unsportsmanlike behaviour.”

When contacted, a Tanjong Pagar spokesman said the club may consider terminating Aniq’s contract. Aside from playing in the U-21 team, the 19-year-old made his senior SPL debut in September 2024 during a 6-0 defeat by Lion City Sailors and has three appearances in the top flight.

The spokesman added: “Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and goes against the core values of sportsmanship and fair play that we uphold at our club. We believe that immediate action must be taken. We will convene and decide after getting all facts from the police.”

The club will be “implementing stricter measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future”, while officials will also be paying Ho a visit, pending the approval of the player’s family.