KUALA LUMPUR — National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi may face disciplinary scrutiny following a racially charged remark made during Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai’s second-round exit at the Malaysia Masters yesterday.
While emotions ran high over a string of disputed calls, Herry’s remark, made on court during the match, could fall foul of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Code of Conduct for Coaches and Educators.
Asked by local media after the match to clarify what he had said during an animated exchange with the umpire, Herry admitted: “I told him, ‘You are not fair, you like white people.’”
The interview, now published online, has raised concerns over whether the remark may be deemed inappropriate under BWF regulations.
The incident occurred as former world junior champions Aaron and Khai Xing pushed Denmark’s seventh seeds Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard to a deciding game before falling 21-10, 24-26, 21-16 in 67 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Herry was incensed over three contentious decisions — two line calls and a disputed shuttle contact — which he claimed shifted momentum in favour of the Danes.
The Malaysian pair, ranked 58th in the world, were unable to challenge any of the decisions as video review was only available on Court 1; their match was held on Court 2.
Under Clause 4.12 of the BWF Code of Conduct (Coaches and Educators, 19 July 2020), coaches must “not make, or attempt to make any unwelcome, abusive or intimidating physical contact in any way with anyone within the precincts of the Tournament site.”
More pertinently, Clause 4.13 requires coaches to “refrain from making statements, either within the precincts of the Tournament site or in the media, that are abusive, insulting, personal in nature, imply bias or question the integrity of others.”
While Herry has since urged the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to lodge an official protest over the officiating, it remains to be seen whether BAM will now address the coach’s own conduct.
Neither BWF nor BAM have issued a statement on the matter as of today. — May 23, 2025