MELAKA, Jan 2 — The status of the coach of the Melaka Under-14 (U14) girl’s volleyball squad, who slapped two players, will be determined this Wednesday, said the state Youth Development, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Committee chairman, VP Shanmugam.
He said that, although the Malaysia Volleyball Association (Mava) had decided on a temporary suspension, the coach appointed to lead the team was under the authority of the Melaka Volleyball Association.
“We will meet with all parties, including representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), state Sports Council, Melaka Volleyball Association, coaches, parents, and players tomorrow (January 3).
“The management of the volleyball squad at the tournament will also be called to testify, and the results of the meeting and discussion will determine the coach’s fate,” he told a press conference here today.
Mava, in a statement yesterday, announced stern action by temporarily suspending the coach of the Melaka volleyball squad, due to an incident of him slapping two young players at the 2022 Under 14 Malaysian Youth Volleyball Championship in Kota Tinggi, Johor, which took place from December 14 to 16, which had gone viral.
Shanmugam said the meeting will be held to get more information, even though the full report of the incident had already been sent to MSN yesterday and KBS tomorrow.
“The coach’s record also needs to be taken into account, because no complaints about him have been lodged before and we also know that the coach is very dedicated and concerned over his players,” he said.
In the meantime, Shanmugam said that the December 14 incident occurred when the coach was a little emotional after his players’ performance did not reach the desired level on the day of the competition.
“It was the first time Melaka had advanced to the semifinals and the coach was proud of his charges’ achievements, however, they narrowly lost to Johor 2-3.
“After the match, the coach explained the situation to the technical management, who also reprimanded him for his actions. After the incident, he met with the two players and apologised. The incident was resolved on the spot on the same day,” he said.
He explained that the coach had also met the player’s parents and apologised for the incident.
— Bernama
