Perth Glory A-League Men coach Ruben Zadkovich is alleged to have been involved in a physical altercation with one of his players during a training session in the past week.
First reported by Marco Monteverde and News.com without naming the coach or player involved, Zadkovich was later named as the coach in question by The West and The Sydney Morning Herald.
It has been alleged that the incident occurred during a five-a-side match at training, where Zadkovich was a fill-in player. The match became heated and Zadkovich and Giordano Colli ran into each other, where they fell to the ground and had a physical altercation.
The Perth Glory released a statement at 5pm WA time on Thursday in which club CEO Anthony Radich stated the following.
Perth Glory can confirm that no complaint was made internally and that neither Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), or the club will be taking the matter any further.
“The club regards the safety and wellbeing of its players and staff as its highest priority.”
“Accordingly, I have spoken to the coach and the player allegedly involved and also consulted with both APL and PFA.
“Based on these discussions, I have concluded that the alleged incident has been exaggerated and am satisfied that no further action is required.”
Zadkovich has been the coach of the Perth Glory since March 2022 when he replaced Richard Garcia on a temporary basis, before being given the role on a permanent basis ahead of the 2022-23 season. He also played for the Perth Glory 13 times as a player.
Perth currently sit in 9th place with 17 points, winning five matches, drawing five and losing seven.
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