Minister: Authorities should investigate alleged rape by footballer

 

The Youth and Sports Ministry is leaving it to the authorities to investigate the case of a local football player who allegedly raped an 18-year-old girl in Kelantan last Sunday (May 29).

Its minister, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, said he has not received any information on the case, although he was led to understand a police report was lodged by the victim recently.

“The suspect should be charged if there is an offence, if he is not guilty he should be defended as best as possible,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after attending the launch of the Nicol David Organisation (NDO) in Kuala Lumpur today.

Prior to this, the media reported that the suspect, a 28-year-old local league football player, was detained at Jalan Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kota Bharu after the 18-year-old victim lodged a police report.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal said he was proud of the national men’s hockey squad despite losing 1-2 to South Korea in the final of the 2022 Asia Hockey Cup Hockey Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, last night.

He hoped the Speedy Tigers would train as hard as possible and was confident they could go far in the 2023 World Cup in India, next January.

He also expressed satisfaction over the Harimau Malaya national football squad’s 2-0 victory over Hong Kong in a Tier 1 friendly international match yesterday, stating that the team displayed solid gameplay.

Ahmad Faizal believed head coach Kim Pan-gon had his own plans to ensure Malaysia qualifies for the 2023 Asia Cup when they take on Turkmenistan (June 8), Bahrain (June 11), and Bangladesh (June 14) in the qualifying rounds at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

He also congratulated national squash legend, Nicol Ann David, for successfully setting up NDO with former Colombian player, Mariana de Reyes.

“This shows Nicol’s efforts in giving back to society based on her involvement in squash previously… May you be successful and (the Youth and Sports Ministry) will of course assist Nicol in conducting all NDO activities,” he said.

NDO is a platform to help children, aged eight to 12, from low and moderate-income families, to develop positive futures through subsidised squash training and English tutorials.

- Bernama