Not the First Time! Singapore Referee Radi Previously Caused Indonesia to Walk Out at 2017 SEA Games
Singapore referee Muhammad Radi faced a second walkout protest over controversial calls, this time from Thailand's sepaktakraw team at the 2026 World Cup, mirroring Indonesia's 2017 SEA Games withdrawal when his officiating allegedly favore
Thailand's sepaktakraw team requested a walkout in their final match against Malaysia at the ISTAF Sepaktakraw World Cup 2026 in Malaysia, citing multiple unfair calls by Singapore-based referee Muhammad Radi. A similar incident occurred on August 20, 2017, during the SEA Games in Malaysia, when Indonesia's women's sepaktakraw team also walked out of their final match against host nation Malaysia. Indonesia's team withdrew during the second set despite leading 16-10. Abdul Gani, assistant coach of Indonesia's sepaktakraw team, revealed that irregularities in the refereeing were apparent from the first set, with Indonesian players being repeatedly called for faults on serves. "From the first set, there were already signs. Every time our athletes tried to serve, the calls were constantly canceled," Gani said. He expressed dissatisfaction with the main referee Muhammad Radi's performance, questioning whether the match was rigged in favor of host nation Malaysia. "Our athletes were called for high kicks as fouls, but from my perspective, it was completely abnormal. It felt like something was set up for Malaysia to win," the Indonesian assistant coach stated. Ultimately, Malaysia's women's sepaktakraw team was declared the winner and claimed the gold medal.
