KJ will not interfere in Chong Wei-Razif 'feud'

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Wednesday stressed that he would not interfere in the 'feud' between Datuk Lee Chong Wei, former National doubles player Razif Sidek and a Malay daily newspaper.

Khairy said the issue between Chong Wei and Razif was a private matter and it is up to the individual player to decide on any legal action.

"I have told Chong Wei that he can take whatever action if he wants...I too did not encourage or discourage Chong Wei to take any action against Razif because this is a personal matter.

"Chong Wei has a reputation to safeguard," the minister said after presenting a talk titled 'Malaysia's Human Capital Towards High Income Economy' at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.

Chong Wei, 32, had said on Tuesday that he would take legal action against Razif and a local Malay daily for alleging that the world number one had been using banned substances for a long time.

Razif was quoted in a local daily on Nov 11, claiming that Chong Wei had been using banned substances for a long time, and that the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) officials were aware of it.

Chong Wei had reportedly issued a legal notice to Razif and the Malay daily through Song and Partners last week.

Last month, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended Chong Wei from all tournaments after both his A and B samples were found positive for banned substance dexamethasone.

Chong Wei who had allegedly failed a dope test at the World Championships in Copenhagen on Aug 30, was suspended pending a hearing by the BWF, and could face a two-year ban if found guilty.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the right candidate for the post of National Sports Council (NSC) director-general could be identified soon since the interview for the post would start next week.

"I will personally interview the candidates and decide who will replace Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong," he said.

A total of 43 candidates are reported to have applied for the post.