TOP SPOT POSSIBLE
Norza believes Malaysia can beat Japan in Sudirman Cup group stage
FABIAN PETER fabian.mark@nst.com.my
DATUK Seri Norza Zakaria is confident that Malaysia can top Group 1C in the Sudirman Cup which gets underway in Gold Coast, Australia next week. The BA of Malaysia (BAM) president believes the match against Japan on Wednesday will be the deciding tie to see who tops the group.
Germany are the other team in Group 1C. “Expect a cracking match against Japan because we both will be fighting hard to top the group. It is a 50-50 chance but I’m certain we can come out tops.
“I have also told the players to not take things lightly against Germany,” said Norza after seeing the team off at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Sepang.
The national team led by World No 1 Lee Chong Wei left for Australia yesterday, where they will prepare for the next five days before opening their campaign against Germany on Tuesday.
Norza also added that he was happy to see the national shuttlers leave in high spirit, as it reflects their readiness to compete.
“Previous issues have all been settled so it is now time for them to focus on the task at hand.
“They are all in good condition and I see the strong team spirit as a key to get us far in this competition.”
Malaysia have yet to win the Sudirman Cup since its inception in 1989. Their best result was reaching the semi-finals in Guangzhou, China in 2009.