ZULFADLI WON’T GIVE UP

Banned shuttler confirms he will appeal

BANNED shuttler Zulfadli Zulkiffli is ready to clear his name from match-fixing as he will file his appeal with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) soon. The former world junior champion said his lawyers are doing all the necessary work as they prepare to face the BWF independent appeal panel.

When asked if he had enough evidence to be “acquitted”, Zulfadli said: “I leave it all to my lawyers.

“I pray that the BWF will allow me to appeal against their decision. I will file my appeal before May 21.”

Zulfadli, slapped with a 20-year ban and a US$25,000 (RM98,000) fine, is relieved to know that he can go ahead with the appeal, even if he has not settled the fine yet.

He has been allowed by BWF to pay the fine in full after the appeal hearing process.

“My lawyer wrote to the BWF requesting for the fine to be paid after the hearing process. Thankfully, the BWF agreed to it,” added Zulfadli.

At a BWF hearing in Singapore on Feb 26-27, Zulfadli was represented by lawyer Datuk Joshua Kevin and his team.

A fortnight ago, Zulfadli denied being involved in match-fixing but claimed that the BWF had “unfairly tried” him — without solid evidence.

The BWF independent panel found Zulfadli and another Malaysian shuttler, Tan Chun Seang, guilty of match-fixing in six tournaments: London Open GP Gold (2013), Dutch Open GP (2013), Korea Open GP Gold (2014), Macau Open GP (2014), US Open GP (2014) and Brazil Open GP Gold (2016).

Former Thomas Cupper Chun Seang has been banned for 15 years and fined US$15,000 (about RM59,000).

The report stated that the WhatsApp conversations between the two shuttlers (mainly in Bahasa Malaysia) were extracted from their mobiles phones. The conversations covered a span of 15 months between Sept 27 (2013)-Dec 12 (2014).