THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Technical Committee took a stern stand when they suspended two coaches, a team manager and a player for abusing umpires in the Premier Division on Sunday.
In a meeting chaired by MHL tournament director Datuk G. Vijayanathan, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) coach Arul Selvaraj received the heaviest punishment, when he was suspended for three matches, while his player S. Selvaraju was suspended for one match.
Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai and team manager Louis Gregory were suspended for one match each.
And there is no appealing this decision.
"We take the matter of abusing umpires as a very serious offense, and all those who have been suspended have no avenue to appeal our decision," said Vijayanathan.
The first incident happened during the Sapura-Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club match which ended 4-4.
Sapura team manager Louis Gregory and coach Tai Beng Hai, unhappy with umpiring, had verbally abused umpires Nazmi Kamarudin and Mohamed Rohizan.
The other incident happened after UniKL lost 4-3 to Tenaga Nasional.
UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj and player S. Selvaraju are said to have made vulgar remarks to umpires Iskandar Rashdan and K. Lingam.
Beng Hai, who lasgt coached the World League Semi-finals team in Belgium, was not available for comment.
Arul Selvaraj, who is also the Project 2016 coach preparing his side for the Junior Asia Cup in November, was apologetic.
"I regret my actions, even though it was in the heat of the moment, it should not have happened," said Arul.
On Monday, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) are expected to name coaches for every level, and both Arul and Beng Hai are candidates who are expected to receive offers to coach either juniors, or become development coaches.
