Hear them out
Zulfadli and Chun Seang to attend match-fixing hearing in Singapore
PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Zulfadli Zulkiffli (left) and Tan Chun Seang have made travel arrangements to attend a hearing on matchfixing in Singapore today.
Former world junior champion Zulfadli and ex-Thomas Cupper Chun Seang will be represented by their lawyers over the twoday session at the Hotel Jen Tanglin in Orchard Road.
The hearing will be conducted by a three-member panel from the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The world body have suspended two shuttlers and they had informed the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) of their decision last December.
BAM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria, in a press conference held on Feb 13, confirmed that two players had been suspended but said they were not players under the national body.
Instead, he pointed out that they were independent shuttlers although Norza did not name them.
But it is learnt that the two shuttlers are former internationals Zulfadli and Chun Seang, who have been suspended pending today’s hearing.
They will be questioned based on some findings linked to match-fixing activities.
The 25-year-old Zulfadli has not played in any international tournament since his 22-24, 19-21 defeat to Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia at the Thailand Masters in January.
Chun Seang too has not played in any international competitions since the Thailand Open in June last year.
Zulfadli defeated Viktor Axelsen of Denmark to win the world junior title in 2011. He also won the Asian junior title in 2011.
He won two titles in 2016 – the Russia and Brazil Opens.
The 31-year-old Chun Seang was a member of the 2010 Thomas Cup Finals team. He, however, left the national team in 2011 and was banned from competing in Asian tournaments for two years by the BAM for quitting the national team.
He has won four titles – the 2012 Peru International, 2012 Tahiti International, 2012 Bulgarian International and 2013 Canada Open.