Thai boxing coach’s contract termination followed procedures, says NSC

 The National Sports Council says it is not involved in allegations raised by Keattisak Teankam, and that it is up to the Malaysian Boxing Federation to address them.

Keattisak Teankam’s contract was supposed to end on Dec 31 this year, but was cut short after the training programme was restructured. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The early termination of Thai boxing coach Keattisak Teankam’s contract was in line with stipulated procedures, including covering his flight back to Thailand, says the National Sports Council.

NSC said the contract termination process and salary payment adjustments followed the procedures set out in his contract, which was cut short to end in July instead of the end of the year.

The council said it was not linked to viral allegations raised by Keattisak, and that it was up to the Malaysian Boxing Federation (MBF) and relevant authorities to address the claims, Bernama reported.

“NSC had engaged the services of Keattisak as a coach for the national backup athletes programme under a contract from July 31, 2025, until Dec 31, 2026, with a monthly salary of RM8,800.

“However, the NSC and MBF joint working committee decided on March 5 to shorten Keattisak’s contract until July 2026 following the restructuring of the boxing training programme from a full-time podium programme to a phased podium programme.

“NSC remains committed to ensuring that all matters involving athletes, officials and coaches are managed professionally, transparently and with integrity,” it said.

Keattisak had earlier claimed he was ordered to transfer funds into the bank account of an MBF official, and accused the federation’s president, Iruan Zulkefli, of abuse of power.

Iruan denied the allegations, saying they were untrue, baseless and defamatory. - FMT