FOOTBALL – THE Bahrain Football Association (BFA) has been fined a total of 10,000 Swiss Francs, or approximately BD4,400, by Fifa, the game’s international governing body, for two violations during the senior men’s national team’s match against Japan last month in Asian qualification for the Fifa World Cup 2026.
This was announced yesterday by the BFA.
The fines were due to the repeated use of lasers targeting Japanese players and whistles during the game, the BFA said in a statement. A penalty of 5,000 Swiss Francs has been given for each case.
The BFA added that while they highly appreciate the great role played by Bahraini fans in supporting the national team, the federation calls for the full adherence to instructions given by security personnel at the match venues.
This comes as Bahrain gets set to face Indonesia this evening at the National Stadium in Riffa in their next continental qualifier for the Fifa World Cup.
In their game against Japan, which the Bahrainis lost 0-5, one prominent instance in which a laser was used to distract Japanese players was when the visitors were awarded a penalty kick in the first half. Ayase Ueda stepped forward to take the shot, but while in the process of doing so, a laser was pointed in his face from the stands in an effort to throw him off. Ueda maintained his composure and sent a right-footed effort to the bottom-left corner of the net for their first goal of the night.
Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu and a number of players later voiced their displeasure with the incident.
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