"This Is Nothing" – Father Forgives Coach Who Slapped Teen Daughter In Viral Video
"I do not see what the big deal is. For me, this is nothing. The action (of slapping) is normal."
The father of one of the two teenage volleyball players, who were slapped by their coach during a tournament last month, said that the families have forgiven the coach as slapping is "normal"
Abd Halim Bakar defended coach Hadee's behaviour, saying he has contributed to the development of volleyball in Melaka and, therefore, Hadee resorting to physical assault should not have been an issue.
"I do not see what the big deal is. There are no signs of injury on my daughter's face. For me, this is nothing. The action (of slapping) is normal. If we wanted to take action, we would have lodged a police report immediately after the incident. But, sincerely with an open heart, we forgive him," he said.
He also claimed that his daughter told him that being slapped made her want to give her best performance during the tournament
According to the 50-year-old, he had asked his daughter's friend, who was also slapped by the coach, and she admitted that the slap was normal as it was not meant to hurt them.
"It is better not to encourage our children to join any sports if they cannot be reprimanded or have actions taken against them by the coach," Abd Halim said, adding that he and his friends were hoping that no actions would be taken against the coach to enable him to continue training their children.
"I have discussed with the father of the other player involved in the incident and we plan to meet with other parties involved to ensure the issue will not prolong."
His wife, Hartin Wagimun, who was shocked after seeing the clip of the coach slapping their daughter, said that when she learned that the coach did not have any intention to harm her daughter, she was okay.
The father said that he was concerned about the coach's situation as he has contributed to the country by developing the sport in Melaka
"The coach has helped boost Melaka's standing (in volleyball). In fact, the coach used his own pocket money to develop the sport and train the state's volleyball team. Because of him, both of my daughters were chosen to represent the state and won fourth place in the Under-14 and Under-16 categories," he said, adding, "Just because of this small incident, we want to disrupt people's income or bring him down?"
He also said his daughter had asked for her coach to be retained because he knows more about the team and has sacrificed a lot of time, money, and energy training the team.
Photo shows Abd Halim (right) and his wife, Hartini Wagimun, showing the medals their daughters have won in volleyball.
Image via Sinar Harian
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has assured that her ministry's investigation into the coach will continue despite the parents and the Melaka executive councillor speaking in his favour
Taking to her official Twitter account last night, 3 January, Yeoh explained the investigation.
"The parent and Melaka Youth Development, Sports, and Non-Governmental Organisations committee chairperson V P Shanmugam have spoken but the ministry will continue its independent investigation because this is not about one coach or two players but a precedent we are setting for the next generation in sports," Yeoh tweeted.
She added that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek is working on this with her.
The Melaka exco is expected to decide on the fate of the coach today:
Read more about the case here:
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