Chong Wei to Rashid, please stay with me
BROTHERS IN ARMS: Datuk Lee Chong Wei (left) has made it his mission to persuade Rashid Sidek to remain with the Badminton Association of Malaysia.
WORLD No.1 Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who returned from Japan this morning, is hoping to persuade former singles head coach Rashid Sidek, who resigned from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) last Thursday, to reconsider his decision.
Chong Wei, who retained his Japan Open Superseries crown after defeating Kenichi Tago 23-21, 21-17 on Sunday, will meet Rashid tomorrow.
“I know a lot has happened while I was away in Japan. I wasn’t distracted, just disappointed.
“I know Rashid has resigned after being with me for 10 years, but I also know that things are back to normal after BAM revamped their structure yesterday.
“I will try to persuade Rashid to reconsider his decision when I meet him tomorrow,” Chong Wei said.
Rashid shocked the badminton fraternity when he tendered his resignation last week, citing the previous Team A and B structure (designed by Talent Management Group director Tan Aik Mong) as the main reason.
BAM president Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff then alleged Rashid breached his contract by signing a one-year deal with Indian club Dehli Smashers in the Indian Badminton League (IBL).
Rashid denied the allegations, saying he coached them for two weeks.
An inquiry consisting four committee members with legal background, met up on Saturday to look into the matter, and have revealed some findings that will be passed to the council for deliberation.
Tengku Mahaleel, however, told the media yesterday, that if the council finds nothing wrong, then it shouldn’t be a problem for Rashid to return to the national squad.
Rashid has also expressed his intentions to reconsider his decision after meeting some of the coaches at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara earlier today.
Chong Wei, who lost to Lin Dan in the final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships last month, also played down rumours of him leaving BAM.
“I have not thought about that (leaving), I will do my best to stay with BAM and focus on my upcoming tournaments (Denmark Open Superseries Premier and French Open Superseries).
“I am the defending champion in Denmark, but I gave the French Open a miss last year due to my wedding. I am hoping to do well this time,” Chong Wei explained.
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