PAINFUL, EXPENSIVE LESSON
Darul Ta'zim’s Farizal pays the price for losing his head
REPORTS BY DEVINDER SINGH devinder@nst.com.my
FARIZAL Marlias learned a painful and expensive lesson when he was handed a 12-month ban yesterday by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) which could put his career in jeopardy.
The Darul Ta’zim goalkeeper was also handed a US$40,000 fine (RM170,000) for his violent conduct in his team’s 2-1 defeat to Ceres Negros of the Philippines in a May 31 AFC Cup match in Bacolod.
In the aftermath of his dismissal, former national defender and Fox Sports pundit Serbegeth Singh called for a life ban to be imposed on Farizal, 30, as Darul TA’zim exited the AFC Cup on the away goals rule in the zonal semi-final.
However, the AFC disciplinary and ethics committee said Farizal was “ordered to serve a twelve month match suspension and pay a fine of US$40,000. The match suspension shall be served on an Asia-wide basis (i.e. in all domestic, continental and international matches, whether friendly, non-official or official matches).”
In addition, Darul Ta’zim head coach Benjamin Mora was ordered to pay a fine of US$7,000 for using insulting language at AFC staffer and match officials after the match.
Darul Ta’zim sports director Alistair Edwards said the club accepted the sanctions imposed by AFC and hoped Farizal will learn from his transgression.
“We respect and abide by the decision made by the AFC disciplinary and ethics committee and we will give our full cooperation to AFC,” said Edwards in a statement yesterday.
“This will serve as a lesson to every player to always abide by the laws of the game and be professional. As a club, we hope and will ensure the matter will not happen again in the future.”
AFC said Farizal’s actions against the match officials brought “football into serious disrepute.”
“Farizal was expelled by the referee for using his fists to push the referee in the chest, an act of violent conduct,” read the AFC statement.
“After being expelled, the player used his fists to push the referee in the chest, used his hands to push the referee in the chest, used his hands to push the second assistant referee, used his shoulder to push the first assistant referee, and used his hands to push the fourth official as he exited the field of play.”
The decision means Farizal’s career is effectively on hold for a year as he is also deemed ineligible to play for Darul Ta’zim for the rest of the 2017 season with his ban also extending into the first half of 2018.
Farizal, who has made 35 appearances for the national team between 2009 and 2015, was not called up for Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifier against Lebanon in Johor Baru on Tuesday.
However, Farizal is not the first goalkeeper to be banned for a year with then Kelantan custodian Halim Napi also receiving a similar sanction in 1997, reduced from a life ban, for assaulting a referee.