Former world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli has been banned from competing in badminton for 20 years, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced today.
The Malaysian shuttler, who defeated current world No.1 Viktor Axelsen in the final of the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships, was found guilty of breaching the BWF Code of Conduct in Relation to Betting, Wagering and Irregular Match Results.
At the same time, another Malaysian player, Tan Chun Seang, was also handed a lengthy ban of 15 years for similar offences.
According to a statement released by BWF, a three-member independent panel found both players "engaged in corruption offences over a significant period and a significant number of tournaments” dating back to 2013 but that Zulkiffli had “committed more violations over a longer timeframe than Tan” and had “been proven to have manipulated the results of four (4) matches”.
Zulkiffli and Tan were also fined US$25,000 and US$15,000 respectively.
Their suspensions, which include administrative, coaching, officiating, or developmental functions, were backdated to 12 January 2018 – the date on which both players were provisionally suspended by the BWF – and both have the right to appeal.
Seng Foo Lee
Wed May 02 2018
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