The T-Team management expressed disappointment over their player, Ifran Abd Ghani's statement, involving the alleged incident at the Larkin Stadium last Saturday.

T-Team chief operating officer Syahrizan Mohd Zain said the player from Johor was biased in his statement with regard to the alleged incident during an FA Cup match against Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) at the Larkin Stadium.

Ifran has raised more questions than answers because the player was not fielded in the first 11 during the FA Cup match and since he was a reserve player, he would be required to warm up on the field at half time, thus not able to know what was going on in the dressing room.

"As a reserve player sitting on the bench, he would have been on the pitch to warm up as it is the normal practice. As such how could he have noticed what had happened in the tunnel while players were heading to the dressing room," he told reporters here today.

Therefore, the action of Irfan who seemed to have taken a stand to back JDT, is regrettable and an act of sabotage against his own team and friends (players).

He (Irfan) had also claimed that he did not notice any injury on Brazilian import player Evaldo Rodrigues and fitness coach Stefano Impagliazzo.

Syahrizan said the player had also failed to inform the team management of his action.

Irfan who was called up by the police to record his statement, told reporters later that the match should not have been abandoned because the players were not under any threat.

He also alleged that the decision to not resume play was taken by assistant coach Azlan Johar and not head coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah.

Last Saturday, the FA Cup match between T-Team and JDT at the Larkin Stadium was abandoned after half time when T-Team players who alleged that their safety was at stake, refused to resume play after the break.

It was alleged that T-Team's Brazilian import player Evaldo Rodrigues and fitness coach Stefano Impagliazzo were assaulted by a high ranking JDT official when both teams were heading to the dressing room.

The match was later abandoned with the score 2-1 in favour of JDT.

Subsequently, T-Team and JDT had lodged separate police reports.

- Bernama

VIDEO l 1.03 min