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ALOR STAR: "I was not accusing them of match fixing. I was just merely asking whether there is such (corruption) element which influenced the team's devastating performance in the final showdown."
That was the response from the man at the centre of an allegation of match-fixing involving Kedah football team members following the squad's failure to defend the Malaysia Cup early last month.
Breaking his silence for the first time since posting the controversial statement on his Facebook account almost a month ago, the man decided to come forward to clear misunderstandings over his remarks.
The man, who declined to be named, claimed that he was asking the question to seek justice for Kedah football hardcore fans who were disappointed by the team's poor performance in the final showdown against Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) at Shah Alam Stadium on Nov 4.
"Any hardcore Kedah fan who watched the game, both at the stadium or live telecast, could have noticed that something was terribly wrong the way the team played.
"The coach failed to respond in time to improve the game while some of the players made uncharacteristic errors on the pitch which cost us the cup.
"I can accept winning and losing as it is part of football, but what had happened to the players and coach during the final was completely below par compared to the team's standard of game," he said in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times.
The man claimed that based on his experience in coaching, Kedah players were completely out of their league during the final game, in particular the five players he named in the posting.
"I was just asking whether the five players and the coach were involved in match fixing. I did not accuse outright that they had taken bribes to lose the game. It is up to the authorities concerned if they wish to investigate the matter," he said.
Asked on whether he would be lodging an official report to the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the matter, the man said he had no plan to do so.
"As I said, I did not accuse them of match-fixing as I was merely asking the question because I do not have proof to accuse them outright," he said.
The man who claimed to be a hardcore fan of Kedah's 'Lang Merah' squad said all he wished for was to get the truth behind the team's devastating performance during the final which saw them losing by 0-2 to JDT.
"I had lined up for four hours to get a ticket for the final and spent my own pocket money to travel to Shah Alam to support the team.
"There were at least 30,000 Kedahans who had travelled to Shah Alam but what did the team gave back to us in return? Nothing but a lukewarm show which was way below their standard," he said.
The man said he had deactivated his Facebook account and lodged a police report following nasty remarks by certain quarters who misinterpreted his posting to protect his safety.
"I have also met the police officer who investigated a police report lodged against me and the case has been referred to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
"I have subsequently met an officer at the state MCMC and was told that I did not commit any offense in the Facebook posting," he said.
It was reported that Kedah coach Nidzam Adzha Yusoff had lodged a police report in Subang Jaya on Nov 9, after learning of match bribery allegation against him on social media.
Describing the allegation against him and the five players as “baseless”, Nidzam urged the police to carry out thorough investigations to protect his and the six players’ reputations.