Sabah FA in a mess amid claims over illegal AGM, wrongful sackings

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Football Association (Safa) is in a quandary as it faces a host of issues including possible action by the Sports Commissioner.

A group has gone to challenge the May 13 annual general meeting, claiming the meeting-cum-election of new office bearers had breached the association’s rules.

The group, comprising five Safa supreme council members, submitted a formal objection to the Sabah Sports Commissioner's office before the meeting was held.

In the meeting held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here last month, Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who is also state Works Minister, was elected as the Safa president uncontested.

At the same time, Federal Tourism, Culture and Arts Deputy Minister Firdaus Akbar Khan and Datuk Awang Kadin Tang won the deputy presidents' posts unchallenged.

The trio were, however, not present when the results were announced at the end of the election.

It is learned that the Sabah Sports Commissioner's office is looking into their appeal, with a probe on-going.

Besides that controversy, another group comprising seven Safa employees claimed they were wrongly terminated from their jobs by the association.

One of the staff members, Malim Surat, represented the group in filing an official complaint with the Sabah Labour Department here on Tuesday (June 20).

In a statement, Malim, a former national and state player, said they were also requesting the department’s help to resolve wages due to them as well as other benefits they were entitled to from Safa.

He claimed they were told to leave the office on June 1.

“We should have been paid our wages when we were told to leave the office. But we have yet to receive any such payment until today,” he said, adding that they were in the dark over the alleged unfair dismissal by Safa.

Malim had previously claimed in another statement that no reasons were given by Safa for the termination.

He added they were notified of the matter by Safa executive secretary David Wisom who claimed newly appointed secretary-general Datuk Rahman Zakaria had issued the directive.

Meanwhile, Safa’s problems were further compounded after Mohd Rizal Mohd Ghazali, a defender playing for the Sabah Football Club (Sabah FC), was charged with assaulting his girlfriend at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (June 20).

The 31-year-old footballer has, however, claimed trial against the charge of causing injury to Hani Farhana Hasrul Sani, 37, by hitting her at a hotel room in Petaling Jaya at about 6am on June 7.

Mohd Rizal also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of allegedly committing mischief by destroying Hani Farhana’s handphone in the same incident.