Pan Gon demands MFL probe into touchline clash with Nazmi

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor coach Kim Pan Gon refused to discuss his side's 2-0 defeat to Kuching City in the second leg of the FA Cup semi-final, instead calling for a Malaysian Football League (MFL) investigation into an incident involving midfielder Nazmi Faiz Mansor.

Kuching booked their place in the final with a 3-2 aggregate victory at the Taha Ariffin Stadium in Kuching on Sunday, sealed by a 119th-minute own goal from Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi.

However, the late goal was followed by a heated confrontation near the touchline involving members of both teams' dugouts, with referee Izwan Abdullah showing red cards to Selangor playmaker Eduardo Sosa and fitness coach Joel Josep Dones Charte.

Pan Gon was visibly upset during his post-match press conference, choosing to focus on Nazmi's approach towards Selangor's technical area rather than the result.

"You saw that. A player scoring a goal cannot come over to the opposite bench to attack the head coach," he said.

"That was number eight, Nazmi. That made everybody get involved."

Asked what he meant by "attack", Pan Gon said Nazmi had moved aggressively towards him.

"He came to attack. He came close and behaved disgracefully in front of me. Our players and staff thought he might touch me, so they wanted to stand in front of me to protect me."

The former Harimau Malaya coach also defended his players and staff, who were shown red cards during the confrontation.

"I don't think our staff and players deserved red cards. What would you expect them to do if an opponent came close to the head coach? They wanted to protect me. If they hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would have happened," he said.

The South Korean insisted the incident warranted an investigation, regardless of the result.

"Games can be won or lost. That doesn't matter. But there must be fair play, sportsmanship and respect for the opponent," said Pan Gon.

"Don't come to the opposite bench to attack the head coach. That's very disappointing. MFL has to investigate."

Kuching coach Aidil Sharin Sahak offered a different take when asked about the dramatic match.

"Well, maybe we watched Korean drama today," he said, before suggesting Pan Gon should examine his own team's disciplinary record and conduct during the match.