Singapore player gets nine-month ban for hitting rival

SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old member of Singapore’s national football squad, Sharrif Abdul Samad, has been suspended for nine months for punching an opponent in a S-League match, media reports said yesterday. 

The Sembawang Rangers defender admitted striking Geylang United’s Peter Bennett, who suffered a broken nose in the incident, according to the Today newspaper. 

“I’m sad that I have been banned for such a long time. But there is nobody to blame but myself,” the daily quoted Sharriff as saying on Monday after the FA of Singapore handed down the sentence. 

“I really regret what I did and I totally deserve the punishment.” 

Sharriff was called into the Lions’ squad a week before last month’s incident but he has yet to play a game for the national team. – AFP