Youth and Sports Ministry: Authorities should investigate alleged rape by footballer

KUALA LUMPUR - The Youth and Sports Ministry leaves it up to the authorities to investigate the case of a local football player who allegedly raped an 18-year-old girl in Kelantan last Sunday.

Its Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said he had not received any information on the case, although he was led to understand that a police report had been 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 told reporters after attending the launching of the Nicol David Organisation (NDO) here, today.

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

Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal was still proud of the achievement 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 were confident they could go far during the 2023 World Cup in India, next January.

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

Ahmad Faizal also believed 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.

In the meantime, Ahmad Faizal congratulated legendary national squash champion, Datuk Nicol Ann David for successfully setting up NDO with former Colombian player, Mariana de Reyes.

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

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