Calls for calm as SEA Games football final nears

  Competition officials tried to cool the temperature Monday ahead of a potential flashpoint football final between bitter rivals Indonesia and Malaysia at the Southeast Asian Games. The plea came after Malaysia said it had requested armoured vehicles to escort the team to and from the central Jakarta stadium after their bus was surrounded by hostile fans before their semi-final match. Indonesia's athletes have topped the Games medals table for the first time since 1997 after bagging 155 golds, and with mostly minor sports left to be contested, the focus was firmly on Monday night's hotly anticipated final. As many as 90,000 people are expected at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium for the game, and fears the carnival atmosphere could sour were stoked on Sunday after fans burnt down a ticket booth inside the ground and besieged the media centre. They were angry at the perceived limited ticket allocation for the sell-out game and had to be dispersed by riot police. "I really hope our supporters behave themselves and support their team in a good way," said head of Games' organisers Inasoc Rita Subowo. "Fair play has to be there and we don't want people to come who are set on causing problems. We have the security in place but sadly there are sometimes people who go over the top and we can't control that." Inasoc officials have taken to radio and television to call for calm ahead of the match, which will see Indonesia attempt to win football gold for the first time in two decades while Malaysia are out to defend their 2009 title. The two nations share a decades-old enmity spurred by political and cultural spats and an intense sporting rivalry, heightened at this Games by the constant barracking of Malaysian athletes by local fans. Malaysia's chef-de-mission Datuk Naim Mohamed said Indonesian police had reassured him visiting players and supporters would be protected but urged Games officials to ensure the competition ends on a high. "We cannot allow people to ruin the sports by causing trouble and I urge Indonesian fans to be respectful and the authorities to make sure the few do not ruin the game for the many," he said. "I think our team understand they have to concentrate on the game and not the shouts from the gallery. But we don't want this to get out of hand." Malaysia's team bus was surrounded and kicked by Indonesian fans before their semi-final against Myanmar, he added, prompting the decision to ask for armoured police back-up on the way to and from Monday's game. The two teams go into the match after two days' rest following gruelling semi-finals. Indonesia beat Vietnam 2-0, with goals in the second half through Papuan pair Patrich Wanggai and Titus Bonai. Malaysia, who boast the tournament's best defence, pounced late against a plucky Myanmar side to win 1-0. Their coach Ong Kim Swee vowed to give his players a few choice words of encouragement before they step on the pitch to "fire them up even more". "I can't tell you what it is, you'll know after we win," he was quoted as saying by Malaysia's New Straits Times. Thousands of supporters milled around the ground several hours ahead of kick-off sounding klaxon horns and waving Indonesian flags. Elsewhere, Thailand -- who won the 2009 Games -- took a commanding hold on second spot in the medals table with 96 golds as of Monday, nine clear of Vietnam who were on 87. The SEA Games, held once every two years, run until Tuesday and see 11 nations competing with the hundreds of medals up for grabs.