Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — The BA of Malaysia (BAM) say it is unwise to place additional pressure on Lee Chong Wei as Malaysians continue to bank on the national shuttler to deliver the nation’s first Olympic gold medal in August.   The national body’s acting president Tan Sri Mohamed Al Amin Abd Majid said fans should keep calm and not brush aside Lee’s opponents at the Rio de Janeiro Games which will feature the best in the world,.     Lee got badminton fans elated after winning the Indonesian Open yesterday. His journey to the final earned him enough points to top the world rankings — a position he once held from 2006 to 2014.   “We are happy he is back at the top spot in the world rankings but let’s not get overly hyped up ... let’s not be caught in this (frenzy),” he said.   Al Amin, who is also the chef de mission for the Games, said it was unfair to say Lee was the only person capable of cl...

Let's start the week with some life lessons. Trust William Shakespeare once said: Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none while Stephen King said: The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool Jealousy American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein describes jealousy as: A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic INSECURITY William Penn had this to say about jealous people: The jealous are troublesome to others but a torment to themselves Respect - a word not many understand. Albert Einstein said: Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolised But my personal favourite is a quote by Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson - an American baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...all I ask is that you respect me as a human being  ...

That is the question that begs for an answer. The Badminton Asia Confederation held an Extra Ordinary Meeting and passed a vote of no confidence against its president Katsuto Momiiof Japan. The Thailand BA proposed BA of Malaysia president Nadzmi Salleh as the acting president instead - and this was well received by the members. Question: Since it is only 'acting president', why not give it to one of the many vice presidents? If they seek for a Malaysian representative, why not BAM vice president who is also BAC vice president Al Amin Majid? Doesn't Nadzmi already have enough on his plate? Read more in today's The Malay Mail . HD says: It feels good to be back.

Well isn’t that what those in the badminton scene are talking about? Let’s not kid each other. Almost everyone, from those who used to be part of the fraternity, observers and those within the stable, are demanding for the removal of BA of Malaysia (BAM) president Nadzmi Salleh. Perhaps they think they can do a better job. Or perhaps they are not fascinated with the fact that Nadzmi had, throughout his tenure, obtained big bucks for the national body and with badminton having secured two silver medals in two consecutive Olympics (Beijing 2008 & London 2012). Then again, perhaps Nadzmi was lucky to have a gem like Lee Chong Wei. And the fact is the sponsors are attracted to the sport simply due to Chong Wei’s achievements and impressive track record. In fact, why should Nazdmi quit ? And if he did, who would then best replace him? Of course many may say the obvious candidates are Nadzmi’s deputies - Al Amin Majid and Tengku Kamil Ismail Tengku Idris Shah . Mokhzani Ma...

“I welcome their call and I think it is very noble for BAM to think about club players,” said Razif.“But I hope they are genuine and that this is not merely lip service. If they really want the best players to compete, they should gather all the top players and conduct a trial to see who is the best among the lot." Those were the words of former international Razif Sidek ( pic ) when asked to comment about BA of Malaysia (BAM) deputy president Al Amin Majid's statement that "even players from clubs could be considered for the inaugural Axiata Cup". Read more here . Some may say Razif is jaded as he is no longer part of the national stable and he was not considered as the High Performance Director (which is now known as the High Performance Team). But I did mention on Bernama's Radio 24 on their programme 'Dalam Radar' on Wednesday that a good player does not make him a good coach or administrator. Or perhaps Razif is right. No matter what your ranking...