Chef de mission of the Malaysian contingent to the SEA Games 2015, Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, confirmed that national under-23 midfield player, Muhammad Nazmi Faiz Mansor, would be sent home today after being suspended for six matches for spitting at an opponent.

He, however, said the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) should not have delayed punishment on the player for tarnishing the country's good name at an international sports event like the SEA Games, as each competing athlete was a 'small ambassador' for Malaysia which currently held the ASEAN chair.

"To me, right from the beginning, what (Muhammad) Nazmi Faiz did in unity sports like the SEA Games was a bad example. Such demeanor required swift action," he told reporters, here, today.

Muhammad Nazmi, who also plays for the Selangor squad in the Super League, would therefore miss the rest of the matches at the SEA Games 2015 in Singapore.

The player who was earlier suspended for two matches, had to book an early flight home after the AFC Disciplinary Committee had on Tuesday, decided on the six-match suspension for the offence of spitting at a Timor Leste player during the Group B opening match at Bishan Stadium, Singapore, last Saturday.

The punishment was confirmed by FAM through its official Facebook web page, yesterday.

Muhammad Nazmi Faiz was reported to have spat at Timor Leste player, Filipe Oliveira, causing referee Chuan Hui Foo, from Singapore, to wave the red card at the Lembah Keramat-born player, in the match which Malaysia won 1-0 through D. Saarvindran's goal.RE

READ:
SEA Games: Muhammad Nazmi should be sent back - CDM

Meanwhile, Mohamad Norza urged the under-23 players to forget their big loss at 5-1 to Vietnam in the Group B second match held at the same venue, yesterday and that they must rise again to win against Thailand this Thursday.

Malaysia are lying fourth in Group B through a win and one loss, and so need to win the next three matches to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals at the SEA Games 2015.

Besides facing Thailand this Thursday, the national squad will be playing against Brunei on June 8 and Laos three days later.