Good for both sides
BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz (pic), who met Pearly-Thinaah at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday, said the pair's future in the national body will be decided before they leave for the Japan Open from July 15-20 in Tokyo.
The duo's contract with the national body expired in December and they have not signed a new deal yet but Zafrul is confident Pearly-Thinaah and BAM can come to a mutually beneficial resolution soon.
'I had a frank and positive discussion with Pearly and Thinaah. We are close to coming to a resolution that will benefit both BAM and the players before the Japan Open,' said Zafrul.
'There are still one or two details left to finalise but we have agreed to not delay this much longer.
'We appreciate their contribution to the country and they also appreciate the support that BAM give them.'
Discussions between BAM and Pearly-Thinaah had hit a stalemate after the latter could not agree terms of new deals with the national body.
Zafrul was reluctant to comment when asked if BAM would be willing to offer a more attractive package for the pair but did say that any incentives included in the new deals would likely be performance-driven.
'What is fair is we need to value them according to their contributions. If they do better, we should reward them,' said Zafrul.
'They get support from BAM and also prize money when they win but they also need some security and recognition for their achievements.
'We need to support this and I also believe in a performance-driven package. The most important thing is for them to succeed.'
Meanwhile, Zafrul also met other senior players such as world No. 2 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and world No. 4 mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
'I wanted to hear any suggestions to improve BAM and help our players,' said Zafrul.
'I met several senior players as well to discuss any issues they might have. I want to continue to have open door sessions with players and next with coaches and other stakeholders as well.'
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