Saiful Hadee Amar, 44, said he regretted it and is willing to face any action over the Dec 16 incident.
“I did not intend to cause injuries … my action is to fire up their spirit and motivate them in each match.
“I wish to apologise to all players, especially the two players involved, their parents, my own club Mastanah and the Malaysia Volleyball Association (Mava) as well as the volleyball community in Malaysia,” he said in a press conference at the Melaka State Sports Council (MSN) office in Krubong.
Also present were Melaka youth development, sports and NGO executive councillor VP Shanmugam, MSN director-general Ahmad Shapawi Ismail and Melaka MSN director Asri Ninggal.
The parents of the two players were also present.
Saiful said in training his players, he uses various types of approaches which could be psychological, intensive and physical.
“I do it to raise their spirit as a player to fight for every victory … the players are my family and my source of strength, without them I cannot be a coach.
“I am prepared to face any action. I hope this will be a lesson for myself,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shanmugam said any action against Saiful would be decided by Mava after its probe.
He said Saiful could be suspended or terminated as the coach of the Melaka U-14 (Women) volleyball team, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
“Despite the apology and understanding between the coach and the parents, the issue needs to be properly investigated as it has received the attention of various parties.
“Firstly, there is the investigation by the state government over the viral video. Secondly, he also served under the education ministry, so its integrity unit will conduct further investigation,” Shanmugam said.
In a video clip which had gone viral on social media, the coach was seen slapping the two girls at the 2022 Malaysia Youth U14 Volleyball Championship in Johor recently.
His action drew the ire of many, including youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh who said it was wrong to act in such a manner.
Yesterday, the father of one of the two teenage students said he had forgiven the teacher and hoped no disciplinary action would be taken on him.
Meanwhile, the Melaka Under-14 girls’ volleyball team had come out in support of their coach. In a Twitter posting, they urged netizens to stop making the incident viral on social media.
Despite various parties coming out in support of the coach, Yeoh said her ministry would continue to investigate the matter to set the right precedent.