M'sian silat athlete slammed for illegally kicking S'porean opponent in the back while he was down at Asian Games

Malaysian silat athlete Muhammad Robial Sobri caused an uproar after he kicked his Singaporean opponent Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alau'ddin in the back while he was down on the ground, leaving him writing in pain during the Asian Games in Jakarta on Sunday (Aug 26).

A video of the semi-final match was uploaded on Facebook and has gone viral.

https://www.facebook.com/AstroArenaSaluran801/videos/2137204216539539/

The two opponents are seen resuming their bout in the Class I (85-90kg) match when Ferdous falls to the ground after tripping.

Robial is seen kicking Ferdous as he falls but misses.

However, he kicks Ferdous in the back while he is down which is an illegal move.

The referee stops the match as spectators boo and Ferdous' father, two-time former world champion Sheik Alau'ddin and teammate Alfian Juma'en demonstrate outrage at the display of poor sportsmanship.

Robial is then escorted away by a fellow teammate.

Despite the drama, Ferdous beat Robial 5-0 and moved on to the finals where he received the silver medal in a 5-0 defeat against Indonesia's own Aji Bangkit Pamungkas.

According to The New Paper, Ferdous said of the incident: "I could see (my opponent's) frustration because my game plan meant he couldn't touch me at all... I started thinking of the times my dad and coaches prepared me for (moments like this) so I wouldn't feel pressure and start shaking.

"I managed to compose myself and I saw the kick coming and braced myself for it. After he kicked, I thought, 'Ah, he actually did it... I'm just going to take this time to absorb the pain'.

"I expected him to do that but now I feel better. After you win, you forget your injuries."

Netizens have praised Ferdous for maintaining his cool and going on to win the match.

Others flamed Robial and called for him to be banned from the sport.