Father of slapped teen says it’s okay

MELAKA: The father of one of the teenagers in the viral volleyball player slapping saga has turned the other cheek and called for no punitive action against the coach involved.

Ab Halim Bakar, 50, said he owes it to the coach, Saiful Hadee Amar, for moulding his daughter Nur’ Saidatul Akma, 14, and her peers into good volleyball players.

“The coach is a stickler for discipline and we have no issue with that.

“I respect him for disciplining my child,” he said when met at his home in Kampung Melekek in Alor Gajah yesterday.

Ab Halim, who works as a technician, said the coach often spent his own money and time to train the girls in the sport.

He added that another daughter, Nur’ Syaafiah, 16, is also being trained by the coach, commonly referred to as Cikgu Hadi.

Ab Halim said both his daughters’ ability in the game has improved tremendously under his tutelage.

“They have been training under Cigku Hadi since young and Nur’ Saidatul has not been affected by the incident.

“She is stronger now and I would have been the first to lodge a police report if she had been hurt,” he said.

Ab Halim said Cikgu Hadi’s contribution to the girls was immense and as such, he hoped that no action would be taken against the coach.

On Monday, Education Ministry officials held a meeting with the parents of the two players in the Melaka Under-14 (U14) girls’ volleyball squad.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had said that the meeting was aimed at getting feedback from the parents of the students involved in the incident.

She said the feedback received from parents and other stakeholders will be looked at as a whole, and the investigation will continue, especially on matters closely related to integrity and discipline.

Fadhlina said her ministry, through the Melaka Education Department, had also conducted counselling sessions for the two girls.

The slapping incident came to light after a video showing a coach of a volleyball team slapping two of his teen players went viral on social media.

The incident is believed to have happened during the 2022 Malaysia Youth U14 Volleyball Championship in Kota Tinggi, Johor, which was held from Dec 14 to 16 last year.