KUALA LUMPUR – Melaka volleyball players have come forward to defend their coach, despite the latter being caught slapping two of his underage players during a recent tournament.
“To all netizens, from the Melaka players under the guidance and coaching of ‘Coach Hadee’,” @mastanah_vc wrote on Instagram.
“We were trained from when we were young by Mr Hadee to play volleyball, from an unknown Melaka female volleyball team that used to get thrashed, to a now-respected team.
“That is all because of Mr Hadee and other teachers that have sacrificed their time and energy without hesitation to train us,” they said.
They added that only the team's players have seen, experienced, and felt the hard work taken to form it.
“He is not fat and bald for anyone to insult as they wish.
“He trains us from the sincerity of his heart without payment, to the point that we have created history for the state of Melaka,” they added.
The players said that they are in fact disappointed with the coach’s action, where he was seen slapping two of his underage female players during the 2022 Malaysia Youth U-14 Volleyball Championship in Johor last month.
“But one mistake that he made does not cover all the good that he has given us all this time.
“For everyone’s information, this issue has long been resolved. There are no hard feelings from the players or our parents.
“We request that all statements regarding our coach stop because we are the only ones who know him.
“Netizens are just outsiders and not our family, only we understand our family members.
“What he did may be wrong, but it is to educate us so that we become better players on the court.
“Stop making this issue viral because we love our coach. Let us judge the good and the bad. We will always stand firm behind our coach and our team because we are the Melaka team.”
The coach’s action got the attention of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who called it wrong and had spoken to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek to gather more information.
In response to the incident, the Malaysia Volleyball Association (MAVA) temporarily suspended the coach from being further involved in the sport.
Yesterday, Melaka’s Youth Development, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisations Committee chairman V. P. Shanmugam said the coach’s fate will be decided tomorrow after the exco meeting, adding that the coach had no prior complaints lodged against him.
However, several netizens took to Twitter to state that the coach did in fact have a problematic past, as he was rude to the players and would shout in front of their parents and vaped openly.
Education Ministry meets parents of students
Meanwhile, Fadhlina today said that Education Ministry officials have met the parents of the two players to obtain their comments, stressing that the safety and well-being of the students are the ministry’s priority.
“We have visited the parents and received all the inputs. We will not tolerate violence, particularly against our students,” she said when met by reporters after a visit to SMK Jalan Kebun in Kuala Lumpur today.
The Vibes’ Malay language sister portal Getaran reported her as saying that the ministry’s investigation will continue while focusing on issues of integrity and discipline, and incorporating not just the parents’ opinions but also those of other stakeholders.
She said that the Melaka Education Department has also provided counselling services to the students involved in addition to meeting their parents.
“We are still investigating and do not need to wait for the police report. We can investigate because we have an integrity and disciplinary department,” she said. – The Vibes, January 3, 2023
