Flashback: Liew Daren (left) talking to his coach Rashid Sidek (right) during the match against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia at the 2020 Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton legend Datuk Rashid Sidek has expressed his dismay over the involvement of former men’s singles shuttler Liew Daren and former National Sports Institute (NSI) analyst Jerry Gan in betting activities.
Rashid, who knows the duo, said it never crossed his mind that they would be involved in such an activity which has tarnished Malaysia’s image in the world of badminton.
“Daren was a shuttler with a good personality. I watched him train more than 10 years ago, including when he was still a back-up player with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), but I never thought he would do such a thing.
“I’m sad (that this betting issue happened) and this has tarnished Malaysia’s image somewhat. Suddenly, Malaysia is thrust into world attention again,” said Rashid.
On Friday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended Daren for 12 months and Jerry for three months after they were found to have been involved in betting-related activities.
The BWF confirmed that Daren was involved in betting-related activities from 2018 to 2021 and tried to obstruct the investigation by concealing information.
Rashid, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games bronze medallist hopes the betting issue does not recur in the country.
Meanwhile, another former national shuttler, Datuk James Selvaraj, who admitted to being upset by Daren’s involvement, advised national shuttlers to be wary of falling into illegal activities that may derail their playing careers.
The former BAM High-Performance director said every player must distance himself or herself from betting-related activities because they can not only derail one’s career but can also be addictive.
Malaysian badminton was rocked in 2018 when former shuttlers Zulfadli Zulkiffli and Tan Chun Seang were found guilty by BWF of match-fixing.
Zulfadli and Chun Seang were each banned for 20 and 15 years respectively for the offence. —Bernama
