Cricket Board accused of covering up coach's sexual abuse

Members of the men's and women's national cricket team released a statement accusing the National Cricket Board of aiding and abetting the national team's cricket coach, Asif Khan, who allegedly sexually abused various players.

According to national team players, the board attempted to aid and abet the South African coach in fleeing the country, without alerting the authorities over the accusations.

Maldives Police Service arrested Asif Khan at Velana International Airport (VIA) on Saturday morning while he was about to depart Maldives.

Police confirmed that an African national was arrested over allegations of sexual abuse against minors and adults, but did not reveal further details.

The statement released by national team players regarding the issue explained that they were made aware of the fact that the public was not informed of the reason behind the team's head coach's sudden resignation.

In addition, the statement guaranteed that a trustable source informed the players that Asif Khan sexually abused various players repeatedly over a period of time, adding that some of the victims were minors at the time.

Players strongly condemned the cricket board, stating that they, whether on purpose or not, aided and abetted the coach in leaving the country without reporting the case to the authorities.

Moreover, the statement claimed that the board's actions regarding the matter further damaged the victims and their families, adding that the board failed at handling the situation.

However, the players assured that they were ready to reform the policies of cricket and establish a safe environment for all the players.

"We are calling the officials of Cricket Board of Maldives to step up in helping the victims and fully cooperate with the investigative authorities", the statement read.

Asif Khan has been coaching the national cricket team since last year. Maldives won silver at the Tri-nationals T-twenty tournament held in Malaysia on June, under Khan's coaching. He also instructed the Maldivian team that played a friendly match against the Indian team. He also umpired many matches.

This is the first time in Maldivian sports history that such serious allegations were raised against a coach.

Local media reports that President of the cricket board Ahmed Aflah (Afoo) was unavailable for comment.

National cricket team's captain Mohamed Mahfooz stated that the players were supportive of each other, and urged the board to take necessary measures as soon as possible.