Badminton: Malaysia coach sidelined after poor Commonwealth Games

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia badminton coach Rashid Sidek has paid the price for a poor Commonwealth Games showing after he was excluded from the travelling party for the world championships in Denmark later this month and also looks set to miss out on the 2016 Olympics.

Men's singles coach Rashid saw his two charges knocked out at the quarter-final stage in Glasgow earlier this month as India's Parupalli Kashyap won the gold to end Malaysia's long domination of the event dating back to 1990.

Rashid, who started that run by winning gold in Auckland and then defending the title four years later, has endured a poor relationship with Badminton Association of Malaysia president Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, who instructed deputy coach Hendrawan to take charge for the Aug. 25-31 event in Copenhagen.

"I don't want to argue or harp on this issue, but the president had a management meeting and chose Hendrawan to take my place at the world championships," Rashid was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

"He has also drawn up a plan for the next four years which includes the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I'm not part of it. "It looks like my services are no longer needed by BAM." Rashid was without world number one and defending champion Lee Chong Wei for the Commonwealth Games and was criticised for replacing him with Liew Daren, who was beaten by Kashyap in the last eight clash.

Top seed Chong Wei Feng was defeated by another Indian, Gurusai Datt, in the quarters to complete the miserable tournament which has caused concerns ahead of next month's Asian Games, where competition will be tougher with China involved.

National Sports Council director-general Seri Zolkples Embong called on Rashid and Mahaleel to settle their difference for the good of the country. "Just like everyone else, I want this issue to be solved amicably. Tengku (Mahaleel) is a very experienced man, he is not somebody who is new in terms of management," Zolkples told the paper. "For someone who is well versed in the corporate world, I believe he will be wise in settling this issue."