SINGAPORE – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has handed Warwick Knights’ former national defender Ismadi Mukhtar an 18-month ban and fined him $1,000 after he was found guilty of two charges for bringing the game into disrepute during a Singapore Football League (SFL) match in July.

In a Nov 30 post on its website, the FAS said that its disciplinary committee (DC) has meted out punishments on seven cases, including Ismadi’s.

He is barred from all FAS-sanctioned and/or organised tournaments and/or matches for 18 months with immediate effect. He must also pay the fine within seven days.

The DC ruled that the 39-year-old was guilty of the charges after being shown a red card for abusive behaviour during an SFL 1 match between Yishun Sentek Mariners and Warwick on July 29 at Yishun Stadium. The SFL is an amateur competition run by FAS.

The first charge was for displaying violent conduct after he was sent off. According to the case details, Ismadi had grabbed the match referee’s jersey with force, “causing the upper half of the jersey to tear” in the 26th minute. The second charge detailed that Ismadi proceeded to splash water on the referee after being red-carded.

Ismadi had made over 250 appearances for clubs such as Tampines Rovers, Woodlands Wellington and Warriors FC in the S.League, which is now known as the Singapore Premier League. He also represented the Lions on several occasions.

In July, FAS director of competitions Aloysius Vetha confirmed with the Straits Times that the match was abandoned “due to an altercation that involved a Warwick Knights player and the referee”, adding that the incident was deemed severe enough to compromise the safety and security of the match officials.

The FAS also said that the police were alerted to this incident and the FAS and its officials will provide the authorities with the necessary cooperation and assistance.

Aloysius added: “The FAS adopts a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence of any form, be it towards match officials, players, or club officials, and any such alleged behaviour has no place in football.”

When contacted, Warwick chairman Andrew Lioe said he is seeking clarification from the FAS and declined comment.

In a statement posted on the club’s social media pages shortly after the incident, Lioe had called for a closed-door forum between SFL referees and club representatives before the start of each season to bridge the gap and misinterpretation of the game laws between both parties.