EJ Obiena’s coach Vitaliy Petrov withdrew prior statements he made in relation to the issue surrounding his salary, claiming he was under duress when he was questioned by Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Philip Ella Juico regarding the matter.
In a statement to the Inquirer that he said would be the last he'd make about the issue, Petrov reiterated he was paid in full by Obiena, never had an issue with the Filipino athlete, and never forwarded a complaint to Patafa with regards to his salary.
Petrov also claimed he was misled during the questioning made by Juico when he and his former ward Sergei Bubka, a top official of the international athletics federation and Ukraine's sports federation, spoke to him with regards to his salary.
The famed coach said the line of questioning of Juico was to “make EJ Obiena look like a criminal.” Petrov added he no longer has the time to get involved in the issue which he described as a ‘witch hunt.’
'Proverbial witch hunt'
“First, I have been fully paid by EJ Obiena. Secondly, I have no issue with EJ Obiena. Thirdly, I never have reached out to Patafa, and I never initiated any complaint against EJ Obiena. Fourth, I was misled by the provocative questioning of Philip Ella Juico and I mistakenly answered his questionnaire according to the way that he wanted me to which is to make EJ Obiena look like a criminal. Lastly, hereby formally withdrawal any prior statements or documents associated to me. This is the only document that may be attributed to myself.
“I have athletes who need me. I do not have more time to waste on this proverbial ‘witch hunt,’ said Petrov.
The controversy erupted when Patafa launched an internal probe into Petrov's salary after president Popoy Juico claimed he was informed about the alleged non-payment in a talk with Bubka and Petrov.
Documents in the possession of Patafa, however, showed that the federation has paid his salaries through Obiena, the federation claimed.
In the latest statement, Petrov said he never proactively complained to anyone about the salaries, which he admitted came in late at times. But the Ukrainian coach said he was paid in full, and “slightly more” of the 85,000 euros from the period of 2019 to present.
“I have never proactively complained to anyone on EJ and payments, specifically never to Patafa or to any Philippines sports official. What has happened is I have been directly approached by Philip Ella Juico and heavily questioned, alongside my former athlete Sergei Bubka, in a manner which confused me and I felt pressured to answer in a way that they wanted me to answer,” said Petrov.
Petrov also claimed he was “tricked” into signing a document that indicated his response to Juico because he wanted to facilitate the smoother payment of his salary.
“I answered it in a way because I honestly thought it would help unburden EJ of this unnecessary role of managing my payments and that he could fully focus on training. I never could have imagined it would be used in this way it is used now as a weapon to destroy a promising career,” said Petrov.
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