Kuala Lumpur: Zulfadli Zulkiffli hoped that he is no longer the subject of criticism behind Malaysian men’s singles coach Misbun Sidek’s decision who told reporter he had no plans to call independent players such as Zulfadli Zulkiffli to play in the Asian Team Championship in Alor Setar, Kedah, next February which is also the Thomas Cup 2018 qualifying round.
The 2011 World Junior champion Zulkiffli told Malaysian media that he did not receive any letters or notification from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) regarding the tournament in Alor Setar, Kedah. Zulkiffli stressed that he had never missed a training camp and ready to serve the country whenever he is needed.
“So, please do not keep saying that I have a lot of excuses, ego, and so on. It’s all based on newspaper’s reporting.”
“Previously, I’ve always attended BAM’s training camp. So, please tell the facts. For those who don’t know, please not spread those false accusations any further, I do not want these things to disturb my focus,” said Zulkiffli.
The 24-year-old Zulkiffli who played for the 2016 Thomas Cup qualifying squad has insisted that he would not give up despite the decision from Sidek.
“I am not going to give up or deeply affected by the decision. If I am selected, that’s great, if not, I’ll move on,” added Zulkiffli.
Yesterday, Misbun Sidek, however, also admitted that he remained open for accepting non-BAM players for the Asian Team Championship but he was concerned about the willingness of outside players to work as hard as shuttlers from BAM.
BAM is expected to announce their final roster selections after the Coaching and Training Committee (C&T) meeting this Thursday.
