YoO sLaM BAM

South Korean Yoo Yong-sung has hit out at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for not telling the truth about his resignation as a doubles coach.

A visibly hurt and upset Yong-sung slammed BAM for saying that he quit, after a six-month probation period, because he was not given a substantial pay rise.

“It has nothing to do with money. I am not a money-minded person,” Yong-sung, who was accompanied by his wife Song Eun-young, said through an interpreter in Sri Hartamas yesterday.

“I came to Malaysia because of my passion for the game and I wanted an opportunity to build my coaching career. But I was not given a chance to hone my skills here. I brought my family here after all the wonderful promises made to me but nothing much was fulfilled.”

Yong-sung, who resigned two weeks ago, also claimed that BAM even refused to extend his working visa, forcing him and his family to leave by the end of this month, although he had asked the national body to hang on until October.

He is the second prominent coach to leave the BAM set-up after Indonesian Rexy Mainaky and this has led to speculation that things are not rosy in the doubles department, with too many heads wanting to be in control.

“I was invited to coach here with the assurance that I would be helping Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong but I was hardly given a chance to do so. I reassured myself that it was all right but I grew very restless and disappointed because my role was not clearly defined,” he said.

“I am a two-time Olympic Games silver medallist and have trained the Korean national team but here I was merely a trainer. Every day, I was asked to train a different group of players. How am I to prove my credibility as a coach if I do not have a set of players to work with?

“I informed Tan Kim Her (doubles chief coach) and the matter was brought up to the BAM but nothing came out of it,” he added, highlighting an incident during the Vietnam International Challenge in March to back up his claim of not being appreciated in the coaching set-up.

“I was supposed to go with the team to Vietnam but two days before they left, BAM told me to stay back. The only pair left at home were Kien Keat and Boon Heong. But when I asked Kim Her whether I could help out, I was told not to ‘touch’ them,” he said.

Yong-sung then took matters into his own hands.

He and his wife met BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai and general manager Kenny Goh on April 25 to review his position in the national team. The meeting, however, became strained when his credibility as a coach was questioned and Yong-sung walked out.

“I went to see them because I wanted them to clarify my position. Kenny told me that I should just focus on training. He gave me the impression that I was a lazy coach. There could have been a miscommunication but I got mad. I have worked very hard every day since I came to Malaysia despite the low salary,” he said.

Yong-sung was also disappointed that his friendship with Kim Her had suffered as a result.

“Kim Her got me in but, at the end, we had our personal differences. He has not contacted me after my resignation ... it is difficult to trust (anyone) again. I just left without saying goodbye to some of the players and coaches. But I want to take this opportunity to thank them for respecting me,” he said.