Badminton: Malaysian players banned for 15, 20 years over betting, fixing offences

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Malaysian shuttlers Tan Chun Seang and Zulfadli Zulkiffli have received 15- and 20-year bans after being found guilty of offences relating to “betting, wagering and irregular match results”, Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Wednesday.

Tan and former junior world champion Zulkiffli were banned from any involvement in badminton, including administrative, coaching, officiating and developmental functions.

An independent panel came to the conclusion that both players “engaged in corruption offences over a significant period and a significant number of tournaments” dating back to 2013, BWF said in a statement.

Zulkiffli has committed more code of conduct violations than Tan and had been proven to influence the results of four matches, it added.

“In addition, Tan has been fined $15,000 while Zulkiffli has been fined $25,000 by a BWF Ethics Hearing Panel,” BWF said.

“The suspensions begin from 12 January 2018 – the date on which both players were provisionally suspended by the Badminton World Federation.”