JEDDAH, 20 January 2008 — Pointing laser pens at athletes during football matches has occurred three times during the previous month causing irritating distraction to both goalkeepers and players.

The latest incidents that happened here was during the ninth round of first division match in the Saudi Football League when fans of Al-Raid football club distracted Al-Jabaleen club’s goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Zaidan more than once. Though Al-Zaidan pointed and shouted that to the referee, nothing happened. That game ended 1-1.

Thanks to ART Sport Channel it was spotted and recorded as was done with the previous incidents.

According to local newspapers, Al-Raid fans had done this previously during a derby with Al-Tawoun football team when they pointed it at the goalkeeper of Al-Tawoun Fahad Al-Thinayyan.

It also happened during the match when Al-Ittihad football club downed Al-Nasr 4-0 in the Saudi league. One of Al-Nasr fans pointed the laser pen at Tayseer Al-Nateef, the goalkeeper of Ittihad, while he was trying to block a Nasr attempt.

Pointing laser pens at goalkeepers in the Gulf can be traced back to 2006 when a fan from Al-Qadisiya of Kuwait used it at Yasser Al-Miseeleem of Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia at the Arab Football Championship. Ahli won the match, 3-1.

Then ART TV channel spotted one of Hilal’s fans pointing at Al-Ahli goalkeeper Yasser Al-Miseeleem in April 2006.

Saudi national team manager Fahad Al-Misebeih cautioned that this act causes distraction especially to the athletes. “We really hope we do not see more of it in the future games,” he told Arab News.

An official from the Saudi Football Federation also said these acts were taken into serious consideration and studies had been conducted to prevent them.

“There is of course strict security while fans enter the stadium, but getting small pens may be easy for some. However, we have been coordinating with authorities to watch out for them in order not to harm the athletes or distract them, and some kind of punishment maybe applied if this continued,” said the official.

In June 2007, local newspapers reported that Riyadh police jailed a 15-year-old boy who was hiding a laser pen in his pockets while entering the stadium. The boy was released after he agreed and gave a signed assurance not to do it again, and after his father had paid the fine to let him out.