Misbun, Chong Wei will collaborate to produce best players

Badminton singles national head coach Datuk Misbun Sidek and national champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei will collaborate in producing the country's best players.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said Chong Wei's experiences during Misbun's absence from the BAM fold would facilitate the 57-year-old's duty to identify the potential of existing young players.

"I put complete trust in both of them to make a plan to produce the best male singles players if Chong Wei retires one day.

"Chong Wei and Misbun have close bond. Even though Misbun has been away from BAM's fold for almost seven years, he will not take a long time to identify the players as Chong Wei is able to provide information on the capabilities and weaknesses of existing players," he said.

He was speaking to reporters at the Aidilfitri 'open house' of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Secretary-General Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin's residence here Thursday.

Norza noted there should be no problem if Misbun intended to accompany Chong Wei who would be competing at the World Badminton Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, even though the tournament coincided with the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games (KL2017).

However, he advised Misbun to discuss with other coaches namely Hendrawan, Indra Wijaya and Sairul Amar Ayob first to ensure there would be no problem with the delegation of duties and responsibilities.

"For me, even though Chong Wei has a mission to win his first world title, the KL2017 is also equally important because as host, we want to show a better performance or at least, the same level as in Singapore two years ago," he said. - BERNAMA