KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian football legend Safee Sali's wife, Fitria Elfina Maharip, claimed she had been mentally abused by him for years.
The 44-year-old housewife also refuted aleegations by the former national football player that she left him and their two young daughters to return to Batam, Indonesia.
"I didn't abandon my children but put them in the care of relatives. This was due to both of their passports being held by Safee.
"He did not stop me from going home (Batam). I returned there because I wanted to inform my family and ask for 'protection' from my brother," she said in a recent Kosmo report.
Safee, 40, had filed for nusyuz (act of disobidience) against Fitria due to her absence.
"I went to Batam on Feb 7 while waiting for his arrival because he wanted to see my brother.
"This thing (returning to Batam) cannot be considered as nusyuz because he knows that I returned to my brother's house," she said.
Fitria added that she suffered mental abuse and the situation got worse once she discovered that her husband had secretly gotten married in Thailand on Jan 26.
She claimed that Safee later declared his intention to divorce her via a voice note on Feb 11 and had kicked her out of their rented house.
"It's been a year since I survived and was mentally abused for days before finding out that Safee got married in secret in Thailand on Jan 26.
"Before he came (to Batam), he pronounced his divorce through voice note sent to me on Feb 11.
"Now, I have been evicted from the rental house in Puncak Alam because he only paid until this month.
"If he can do this to me, treated like garbage after 11 years of serving him without being able to work and take care of the children alone. How would you feel? And now, not even a sen of support is provided by him," she said.
Fitria added that it's been over a month since she last saw her children and is not privy to their current whereabouts.
Safee and Fitria Elfina tied the knot on Dec 21, 2013. They are blessed with two daughters, namely Shanika Salsabila, 9, and Shania Safina, 7.