BINTULU (Nov 24): Bintulu FA emerged the Northern Zone champion and improved their spot in Sarawak Premier League standings, following a 1-1 draw with Miri FA in their final match at Miri Stadium on Sunday.
Team manager Awang Madihi Awang Yatim said his squad wrapped up the competition with an impressive 24 points from 10 matches, recording seven wins and three draws.
The Mirians closely finished at second place with 22 points, having recorded seven wins, one draw and two losses.
"The outstanding achievement was attributed to the unwavering commitment of the team's officials and players throughout the tournament.
"With our mission of becoming Northern Zone champions accomplished, the Bintulu team will take a two-week break before resuming preparations," he said in a statement.
According to Awang Madihi, the knockout stage is expected to kick off in January.
Meanwhile, things got a little heated at the Miri Outdoor Stadium after the game, as some unhappy supporters of the hosting team resorted to throwing water bottles onto the pitch - with one individual attempting to hit one of the officials heading out from the field.
Mohamed Saif Jubaidi, president of Miri Football Association, immediately issued official apology over the incident, which had gone viral on social media.
"Such circumstance was beyond our control," he said in a statement.
"Nevertheless, I am thankful that the security personnel, as well as the police and Rela (People's Volunteers Corps) were there at the stadium.
"Throughout the match, no untoward incident was reported, and all players from both teams showed high sportsmanship, and accepted the results well.
"All the players and officials provided good cooperation to the organisers.
"However, some spectators were not satisfied.
"We're grateful that the situation was controlled by security personnel, and things returned calm within a short time," said Mohamed Saif.