T-Team's Evaldo Goncalves (right) and fitness coach Stefano Impagliazzo arriving at the Kuala Terengganu district police headquarters on Sunday.
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu FA (TFA) want the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to investigate the alleged assault of a T-Team player and fitness coach during the FA Cup second round match against Johor Darul Ta’zim at the Larkin Stadium in Johor Baru on Saturday.
TFA president Datuk Wan Ahmad Nizam Wan Abdul Hamid said that FAM, as the umbrella body for football associations, must launch a thorough investigation into the incident.
T-Team claimed that their player Evaldo Goncalves and fitness coach Stefano Impagliazzo, both Brazilians, were assaulted by a “high-level personnel” from Johor FA’s management in the stadium tunnel at half-time, with JDT leading 2-1.
The T-Team’s players refused to come out of the dressing room for the second half and the game was then abandoned.
“I’m very upset over the incident ... our player and coach were attacked and injured.
“As the governing body, FAM must investigate this case,” said Wan Ahmad Nizam on Sunday.
He has also urged the players and management of T-Team to lodge a police report on the incident as soon as possible.
Goncalves and Impagliazzo were seen entering the Kuala Terengganu district police headquarters at 1pm on Sunday. They, however, left after a few minutes without speaking to reporters.
Checks with the police showed that they did not lodged a report.
Meanwhile, T-Team chief executive officer Ab Rasid Jusoh said they are aware that the match commissioner (Zainal Mukri) has submitted a report to FAM and that the governing body would be calling up both sides for a meeting.
“We will leave it to FAM. If they want to call us up to explain, we will do it,” said Ab Rasid.
T-Team captain Mazuki Yusof claimed on Sunday that he and his team-mates “feared for our safety”, hence their refusal to come out of the dressing room.
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
