ABU DHABI // Even before a flying water bottle struck an injured player, it was clear that the mood of some jeering fans of the UAE national football team was turning from angry to potentially dangerous. As juice cartons burst against the pitch during Saturday's Group Two Asia 2010 World Cup qualifying match against North Korea, home fans at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed stadium clambered towards field level to admonish their team for the evening's disappointing result.
Match officials and players from both teams appealed for calm from enraged spectators as objects were thrown following North Korea's second goal in the 2-1 defeat. Orange juice boxes and water packs hit the ground near North Korea's startled goalkeeper, who gesticulated frantically to officials. A plastic water container clipped an injured visiting player as he was being carried from the field on a stretcher, though without hurting him further. A few minutes later, another carton split open beside a North Korean who was still writhing on the ground having also been injured in play.
UAE players who approached fans involved in the disturbances, pleading with them to allow the game to continue without further trouble, immediately became targets of those hurling projectiles. Streams of home supporters had earlier headed for the exits in response to the UAE's failure to equalise after North Korea went ahead with an own goal scored by the UAE's Basheer Saeed. But many of those who stayed booed and threw items of rubbish at ball boys and players. Some mockingly switched their allegiances to the visiting team, taunting with pro-North Korean shouts of "Kouri! Kouri!"
Police assisted stadium stewards who warned rowdy fans to calm down. A commentator rallying support for the UAE team on his megaphone interrupted his chants of "Inshallah goal!" to urge fans to behave. "Laa, laa! Laa!" he repeatedly urged, telling the irate fans to stop littering the field. The players tossed aside the discarded bottles to clear the pitch but had to evade more airborne rubbish. The crowd trouble caused play to be held up by five minutes and led to nine minutes of extra time.
Not long before the disorder, UAE supporters wearing football scarves and face-paint in the national colours had been eagerly anticipating the match in the steamy venue. Spectators sat in sweltering heat, fanning themselves with cardboard masks of UAE players. One fan was spotted wearing national dress with the initials UAE spray-painted on the back. Although the hosts dominated the first half, the Korean defence frustrated their efforts and fans launched the barrage of water packs and juice boxes after North Korea's second goal.
It appeared that fans were objecting to the result of the match rather than poor officiating, as there had been no bad tackles or controversial decisions. Football officials have been known to discipline fans in the past for pelting players or coaches with projectiles. Last year, Spain's Real Betis football club received a stadium suspension for three matches after an object tossed from the crowd knocked Sevilla's former coach, Juande Ramos, unconscious.
In May, the Argentine club Boca Juniors were banned from using their La Bombonera stadium for international competition after a clump of dirt was flung at a linesman. The UAE's next Group 2 match is against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. * With additional reporting by Armina Ligaya, Graham Caygill, Matthew Chung and Thomas Woods mkwong@thenational.ae
