Dark Night in Ternate: Referee Assault and Journalist Intimidation Put Malut United in Hot Water
TERNATE – What should have been a thrilling night of football at the Gelora Kie Raha Stadium turned into one of Indonesian football’s darkest hours. Malut United FC now faces severe sanctions from the PSSI Disciplinary Committee (Komdis) after a FIFA-licensed referee was physically assaulted and a journalist was intimidated following a dramatic 3-3 draw against PSM Makassar.
The trouble began in the dying moments of the match when referee Thoriq Alkatiri disallowed Malut United’s potential winning goal. After reviewing the footage on VAR, the referee ruled that a foul had been committed in the buildup, nullifying David Da Silva’s strike. The decision sparked immediate fury from the home team’s officials and supporters.
As the final whistle blew, chaos erupted. Video footage shows referee Thoriq being surrounded and shouted at by Malut United officials while attempting to reach the dressing room. Despite steward escorts, a supporter managed to break through and punched the 37-year-old referee in the head right in front of the stadium tunnel. Thoriq stumbled and had to run for safety, with another individual seen swinging a cloth at him.
The situation escalated further when a club official—the same person allegedly involved in the journalist incident—followed the referees to their dressing room, banging violently on the door while hurling threats and insults. Terrified, the match officials locked themselves inside for approximately 90 minutes, only emerging after police and stewards guaranteed their safety around midnight.
Meanwhile, in the media tribune, a separate but equally shameful scene was unfolding. Irwan Djailani, a journalist from RRI Ternate, was documenting the events when a Malut United official approached him and forcibly demanded he delete his videos. “You’re a journalist, you have to delete that video!” the official shouted, also attempting to have all journalists removed from the tribune despite their valid media credentials.
What shocked many was the involvement of Malut United’s owner, David Glen Oei. Instead of de-escalating the situation, witnesses report that he confronted the journalists, asking, “Where are you from? If you’re from Ternate, why don’t you support us?” The comment has drawn widespread criticism and legal consequences. The Bahmi Bahrun & Partners Law Firm has officially reported both Oei and the club official to the Ternate Police for violating Indonesia’s Press Law No. 40/1999, which carries penalties of up to two years imprisonment or IDR 500 million in fines.
The Indonesian Referees Forum has responded furiously, demanding Komdis impose the heaviest possible sanctions. “This situation is completely outrageous and unacceptable,” the forum stated. “What kind of referees do you want?”
PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi echoed these sentiments, expressing deep regret that such incidents continue to plague Indonesia’s top football league. “First-tier clubs should no longer have incidents like this,” he said, adding that PSSI fully entrusts the matter to the Disciplinary Committee.
Based on the 2025 PSSI Disciplinary Code, Malut United faces multiple severe penalties. For the referee assault, the club faces minimum fines of IDR 70 million for security failures and spectator misconduct. More significantly, they could be banned from having spectators at one to two home matches, meaning supporters would be locked out of crucial upcoming games against Dewa United, Persebaya Surabaya, Persis Solo, and Persita Tangerang.
The club also faces potential sanctions for the journalist intimidation. While this falls under criminal law, PSSI Pers has condemned the actions as serious ethical violations, and Komdis could impose additional fines or official warnings. The individuals involved—both the club official and potentially owner David Glen Oei—face personal sanctions, including bans from football activities, following precedents where officials received multi-match suspensions for similar misconduct.
Referee Thoriq Alkatiri has submitted his full statement to Komdis but declined further comment. For now, Indonesian football waits to see whether this night of violence and arrogance will finally serve as a wake-up call, or whether the cycle of impunity will continue.
