Witnessing crime, violence, and national pride for just $6

The final whistle was blown, and defending champions Singapore were dumped out of the Asean Football Championship by Vietnam with an aggregate score of 0-1. With reluctance and a tinge of sadness, I trudged my way out of the Kallang stadium. However, what I witnessed outside of the stadium somehow made the $6 I paid for the ticket more worthwhile. First, a melee broke out as a Vietnamese was caught for pickpocketing. Then a bigger fight broke out when some Singaporeans burned the Vietnam flag!! Some were arrested and some too were sent to the hospital on an ambulance.

Pickpocket

Upon exiting at the east gate, I saw a group of locals manhandling a Vietnamese dude. My first impression was that this poor foreigner who was restrained at his neck, arms and torso, is an innocent victim of an angry mob of Singaporeans who just want to vent their frustrations on any Vietnamese the see. I pushed my way through the crowd into the thick of the action and asked what happened, and apparently, the Vietnamese was caught pickpocketing.

The number of onlookers increased tremendously. Then I decided that I should snap some pictures. As I started snapping away on my iphone, a melee broke out. A bystander shoved the man accused of pickpocketing hard in the chest, and he tried to retaliate and break free, then more onlookers joined in the shoving.
The police sure took their time coming here. In the first place, there were not any police officers around at all at the east entrance. After 7-10 minutes, two babyfaced officers (whom I assumed were NSF personnel) came, and escorted the accused somewhere else. I assume it was for further questioning.

Burning

Even more spectacular events unfolded at the north end of the stadium, though I didn't witness this myself. A group of Singaporeans burned the Vietnam flag! A fight broke out, and it must had been like a fight club, if my imagination proves to be right. Some were arrested, and some were injured and had to be loaded up the ambulance to be sent to the hospital.

Passion

It is never ever right to burn the flag of another nation. However, I choose to look at the positives. Never had I been immersed in such nationalistic pride and passion. This evening's match stands out even from past experiences. One most notable difference was the response of the crowd to the Singapore team even after losing their title defence. Instead of making their way out of the stadium immediately after the final whistle, the fans stayed behind to applaud the team, not to mention to boo the Vietnamese team and its supporters too.

If there's anything the Singapore government can do after this episode, besides taking legal action against those involved in the criminal acts, it is to pump more funds to improve the publicity of local sporting events. What better way to lighten up the mood during such times of bad economy and also more importantly, to bring Singaporeans of all races together to support our sportsmen and women. Sports bring people closer together.