Amateur football coach gets jail for headbutting and fracturing nose of opposing player in friendly match
by Lydia LamSINGAPORE: In the heat of an amateur football match, a coach-cum-captain headbutted a player from the opposing side, causing him to fall to the ground and faint after bleeding profusely.
For one charge of voluntarily causing hurt, 31-year-old Nicholas Amet Wen Cai was sentenced on Monday (Sep 7) to four weeks' jail.
The court heard that Amet led the team FC138 during a friendly game against Ranger United at East Spring Secondary School on Feb 17 last year.
Five minutes before the game ended, a heated argument broke out between both teams due to a foul from a player on Amet's team.
Players from both sides began pushing each other in the middle of the field, and the court heard that Amet was trying to protect his teammates by pushing away Ranger United players.
The referee stood a short distance away and told the men to stop fighting, but the Ranger United goalkeeper subsequently ran towards the group and did a jump-kick towards one of the FC138 players.
The scuffle intensified and Amet stood face-to-face with the victim, 34-year-old Yang Yanhua. They began swearing, pushing and shoving each other.
Suddenly, Amet headbutted the victim on his face, causing him to fall to the ground. Mr Yang began bleeding profusely and fainted shortly after, with Amet and his teammates quickly fleeing the football field.
READ: Football: Two taken to hospital after brawl during amateur match at East Spring Secondary
The police were alerted to the fight and arrived to find the victim unconscious. He came to shortly after and was taken to hospital with a fracture of his nasal bone, swelling and a laceration on his eyebrow.
Amet later admitted he headbutted the victim with the intention to hurt, as the victim was "standing close to him" and Amet was "feeling angry and agitated in the heat of the moment".
The prosecution asked for the four weeks' jail that were eventually imposed.
For voluntarily causing hurt, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.