KUALA LUMPUR — Whether Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah remain with the national team or not, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is expected to reach a decision on their contract situation by the end of this month.
This was confirmed by BAM deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam when contacted by Scoop today.
“Following our council meeting in May, we (BAM) conveyed our decision to the players and have been awaiting their response — that was it.
“It’s actually up to them.
“We will come to a conclusion on this by the end of the month, and perhaps make a statement early July,” said Subramaniam.
It was recently reported that Pearly told reporters that she and Thinaah are also ‘waiting for an answer’, and have no intention of delaying the process.
In response, Subramaniam suggested that Pearly and Thinaah could take a leaf out of the book of several Malaysian greats, particularly in how they conduct themselves.
“We have many living legends of the game here in Malaysia — players who have achieved so much on the biggest stage. Players today should learn a thing or two from them.”
Scoop first reported on the impasse in April. BAM later confirmed that the world No. 3 pair are the only national players yet to sign new contracts, following the expiry of their previous deals in December 2024 — more than six months ago.
It is understood that Pearly and Thinaah were exploring the possibility of going independent, having sought a revised salary package on par with BAM’s top earners, believed to be close to RM2 million annually.
A source close to the duo previously told Scoop that Pearly and Thinaah were prepared to sign new deals after the Thailand Open last month, but there has been no development since.
The pair, however, have enjoyed a strong run of form since lifting the Super 500 title in Bangkok. They followed up with a semi-final finish at the Malaysia Masters, a quarter-final appearance at the Singapore Open, and capped off their four-week World Tour campaign with a runner-up finish at the Super 1000 Indonesia Open.
While remaining tight-lipped on their contract status, Pearly and Thinaah have continued training at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) under head coach Rosman Razak and doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
Their next major assignment will be the Super 750 Japan Open next month. — June 22, 2025