Selangor II player Hein Htet Aung has been suspended for a match for displaying a “political” symbol during a match against PDRM FC.
In a statement on Friday, 26 March, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that its Disciplinary Committee found the 19-year-old player’s actions were “unsportsmanlike”.
According to FAM, he violated Article 59 of the FAM Disciplinary Code (2015 edition) during the 6 March match between Selangor II and PDRM FC at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras.
Article 59 of the FAM Disciplinary Code (2015 edition) states that using “offensive gestures or language” to insult someone in any way or “unsporting behaviour” in any other way as subject to sanctions.
He will miss Selangor II’s M-League game against Perak FC II on 2 April.
Aung, a Myanmar national, had used the three-fingered salute, a symbol that has been adopted by people to show their resistance against authoritarian regimes in Southeast Asia.
The symbol is a prominent feature among people protesting the military coup in Myanmar.
A photo of Aung displaying the three-fingered salute was uploaded on the official Twitter account of Selangor II following the match.
The tweet has since been deleted.
Photo: Selangor FC Twitter