Volleyball coach’s fate to be known tomorrow

MELAKA: The status of the Melaka volleyball squad coach, who slapped two players during the Malaysia Youth U-14 Volleyball Championship in Kota Tinggi, Johor from Dec 14-16, will be determined tomorrow.

The state Youth Development, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Committee chairman VP Shanmugam said although the Malaysia Volleyball Association (Mava) had suspended the coach following the incident, he was under the authority of the Melaka Volleyball Association (MVA).

“We will meet with all parties, including representatives of the Youth and Sports Ministry, state Sports Council, MVA, coaches, parents, and players tomorrow (today).

“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 said yesterday.

“The coach’s record also needs to be taken into account, because no complaints have been lodged before and we also know that he is very dedicated,” he said.

Shanmugam said that the Dec 14 incident occurred when the coach became a little emotional after his players were trailing Johor in the semi-finals.

“It was the first time Melaka had advanced to the semi-finals 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 the two players and their parents and offered his apologies. The incident was resolved on the same day,” he said. — Bernama