KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has defended the way they parted ways with former Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) junior development director (singles) Datuk Misbun Sidek recently.
Its deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam, who led a special committee to look into the national juniors’ team’s failure at last month’s Asian Junior Badminton Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, said the decision to terminate Misbun’s contract was done in the proper manner.
“As far as I am concerned, we have done things accordingly. I have no further comment on the issue,” he told Bernama when contacted today.
The national juniors put up a lacklustre performance in Yogyakarta to lose 3 – 0 to defending champions Thailand in the quarter-finals of the mixed team event, while not one of them qualified for the semi-finals of the individual events.
The last time Malaysia won a medal at the Asian Junior meet was in 2018 through Pearly Tan – Toh Ee Wei (women’s junior doubles), who took silver, besides helping the national squad to win bronze in the mixed team event.
Subramaniam added it is best for all parties to move on from the controversy, as Misbun already abided by the decision.
On Friday (July 28), he told a press conference that BAM and Misbun had mutually agreed to part ways.
However, during a press conference yesterday, Misbun alleged he was unfairly dismissed and never reached a mutual agreement with BAM to part ways, as reported previously.
Recounting his side of the story, Misbun, whose contract was until the end of this year, said he was really upset considering that it contradicted what BAM informed the media.
He had previously left BAM for the first time in 2011 before returning for a second stint in 2017 as the national men’s singles head coach.
In 2020, Misbun was re-designated as the national youth development director before being made ABM junior development director (singles) last year.
— Bernama
