Malaysia have been ordered to play their next FIFA World Cup qualifier behind closed doors after crowd trouble forced the abandonment of their recent clash with Saudi Arabia ©Getty Images

Malaysia will play their next 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match behind closed doors after the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was hit with sanctions following crowd trouble which caused the abandonment of their clash with Saudi Arabia on September 8.

The FAM have been ordered to pay a fine of CHF40,000 (£27,000/$41,000/€37,000) and the Saudi Arabian team have been awarded a 3-0 victory.

They have also been warned about their future conduct.

Malaysia’s match against the United Arab Emirates, due to take place on November 17, will now be played in front of an empty stadium.

Flares, smoke bombs and fighting within the crowd caused the match in September to be abandoned in the 88th minute, while 11 arrests were made, prompting FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee to act.

According to a statement, the decision was taken in view of "the circumstances of the matter, in particular, the match officials’ reports, FAM's positions as well as the relevant videos and pictures, and due to the seriousness of the incidents”.

The FAM was held responsible for the actions of the Malaysian supporters during their match with Saudi Arabia at the 80,000-capacity Shah Alam Stadium and were subsequently found in breach of a number of FIFA World Cup regulations.

The fans inside the stadium were angry at having suffered a 10-0 defeat at the hands of the UAE in their previous qualifier and the incident has been blamed on Ultras Malaya, a militant group of supporters.

Smoke and flare bombs were let off by angry Malaysian supporters which caused their match with Saudi Arabia to be abandoned
Smoke and flare bombs were let off by angry Malaysian supporters which caused their match with Saudi Arabia to be abandoned ©Getty Images

Players and officials scampered from the ground in order to seek safety as objects pelted the pitch, while Saudi Arabian fans fled their section of the ground.

The Saudis were 2-1 up at the time of the abandonment. 

“Disciplinary proceedings had been opened after several incidents, including smoke bombs and flares, occurred inside Shah Alam Stadium, which led to the abandonment of the match in the 88th minute,” a FIFA Disciplinary Committee statement said.

Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa had previously said the governing body were “extremely concerned” by the trouble, adding that they would throw their support behind FIFA’s investigation.

Malaysia are currently bottom of Group A of the Asian qualifiers behind Timor Leste, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.