It was less of an altercation than an outright bashing which the Malaysian team suffered at the hands of the Algerian rugby team in the final of the Crescent Cup in Melaka.
The inaugural Crescent Cup was supposed to showcase solidarity and close cooperation between Islamic countries.
But the fact that from the initial 12 teams that were supposed to take part dwindled down to just six showed just how much of the spirit of Islamic brotherhood exists among Islamic countries.
And in the final, when the hosts were leading 9-5, the Algerian players started mauling the Malaysians at the start of the second half before the referee in the game also received similar treatment.
While the tournament is being organized by a third party, still the Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) should also be blamed and be held accountable as in this instance, it tarnished the reputation of the country.
And this is afterall a tournament involving the Malaysian national rugby team.
And holding a piece of paper saying that the MRU are no way involved is irresponsible as they had sanctioned the event as did the International Rugby Board (IRB).
