Lee Zii Jia Has Conditions Before Joining Malaysia’s Thomas Cup Squad – And BAM Is Scrambling

The former All England champ asked for a week to decide on Malaysia’s offer. Time’s almost up.

Fernando Fong

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Lee Zii Jia isn’t just Malaysia’s badminton ace – he’s also becoming its biggest headache.

The Kedahan has put conditions on the table before he agrees to represent Malaysia at the Thomas Cup in Denmark, and Malaysian badminton officials are scrambling to make it work.

The drama unfolded last week when Zii Jia sat down with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Performance Committee Chairman, Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei, at the Malaysian Badminton Academy in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

What should have been a straightforward “will you play for Malaysia?” conversation turned into something more complicated.

The 28-year-old shuttler wants a week to think it over, with his final answer expected by this Friday (27 February) – cutting it dangerously close to the deadline for Malaysia to submit their official squad list to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in April.

There were several terms discussed, and BAM have given its feedback, Chong Wei said after the meeting.

I’ve also discussed with the BAM President and council members – we have new management now and we’ll see what can be offered.

The Same Old Song

This isn’t the first time Zii Jia has made waves.

During the 2024 Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, his camp reportedly demanded image rights compensation for representing the country.

The request split public opinion – some called it greedy, others defended his right as a professional player operating outside BAM’s structure.

Now it’s happening again. Different tournament, same complications.

Chong Wei described the latest meeting as “smooth and constructive,” but the clock is ticking – BAM needs to finalise their team planning, and Zii Jia’s indecision is throwing a wrench in the works.

We hope he can give an answer soon because we need to complete the player list and training program.

The Thomas Cup runs from 24 April to 3 May in Horsens, where Malaysia is expected to field four singles players and three doubles pairs – but without Zii Jia, they’re missing a crucial piece.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by REKEK HQ (@rekek.my)

The Backstory That Won’t Go Away

The current drama makes more sense when you remember that Zii Jia officially resigned from BAM in January 2022, since which he’s been operating as an independent professional player.

The resignation led to widespread discussions about BAM’s handling of talented players.

And now those same tensions are bubbling up again, complicated further by Zii Jia’s injury struggles and ranking decline.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for a nation that knows Thomas Cup glory. 16 May, 1992 – the day Malaysia ended a 25-year drought by winning the most coveted cup in badminton for the fifth time.

That victory was extra special, and BAM desperately wants to recapture that magic.

BAM is clearly frustrated, dealing with a player talented enough to make or break their Thomas Cup campaign, but who comes with demands that complicate team dynamics.

For now, everyone’s waiting for Friday to find out if their former All England champion is in or out – and whether this whole mess was worth the headache.