'Red card' for Malaysia's footballing cad

By Jonathan Kent
BBC correspondent in Kuala Lumpur

A Malaysian footballer looks set to be shown the red card by his team for jilting his bride at the altar via a mobile phone text message.

Hesmawi Hassan faces the sack after his last minute message to fiance Norlida left her to face 1,000 guests at their wedding reception alone.

The footballer has not shown up since wedding day

The text message that left twenty-three-year-old Norlida Abdul Rahman devastated arrived at 0200 on the morning of her wedding which read simply "we were not meant to be together".

But Norlida's family had already invited the entire neighbourhood for a traditional Malay wedding feast.

The bride went through with the party while the cowardly groom disappeared.

Nor has Hasmawi Hassan turned up for training with the Kedah State team this week.

He has yet to face his team mates, all of whom had been invited to the ceremony.

Now the deputy head of the state football association has cried foul and says Hasmawi's contract will be torn up for tarnishing the game's image.