KUALA LUMPUR: "Enough is enough."
Former world No 1 Lee Chong Wei has had it with Lee Zii Jia and his coach, Wong Tat Meng.
On Thursday, the three-time Olympic silver medallist slammed Zii Jia and Tat Meng for stirring up another controversy and throwing the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) under the bus.
A day earlier, Tat Meng, who only joined Team LZJ last month, took to social media and accused BAM of bullying independent players.
Tat Meng was upset because BAM had issued a directive outlining the apparel requirement set by their sponsors to all professional players who train on Wednesdays at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
BAM signed a five-year sponsorship with Japanese sports equipment brand, Yonex, in 2021.
Chong Wei, who usually declines to comment on Zii Jia, has had enough this time.
The 41-year-old retired shuttler feels quite personal about the issue. Apparently, it was Chong Wei who proposed to BAM to allow professional players to join the training at ABM once a week.
Speaking to Timesport, Chong Wei, who is also a Road to Gold (RTG) programme committee member and the team manager for the Paris 2024 Malaysian badminton team, said: "I usually stay quiet and try not to get involved, but enough is enough.
"Why is it always about him (Zii Jia)?
"And his coach (Tat Meng), who just started, and already stirring up controversy.
"In this case, you have to respect the national body. If you feel it is a problem and you can't meet the requirements, don't come.
"How come there wasn't an issue from the other independent players? Why didn't Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi make a big deal out of it?"
Chong Wei also took offence at some of the comments made on social media by Zii Jia's fans in regard to his personal sponsorship deal with Yonex when he was still with the national team.
Some of these fans questioned the difference. BAM was then sponsored by Victor while Chong Wei remained with Yonex.
"I was part of the national team and already had a personal sponsorship deal with Yonex. Prior to Victor's arrival as the new sponsor, I had already consulted with Tan Sri Norza (Zakaria) regarding the matter.
"In Zii Jia's case, he did not have a personal sponsorship with Victor while he was still a national player. He quit the national team to join them.
"It is different. I am very upset with people who pass comments without knowing anything," Chong Wei lamented.
It remains to be seen how this matter will be resolved. Right now, all focus is on the World Championships, which start next week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
However, the next big assignment for both the national and independent players is the Hangzhou Asian Games next month.