Badminton Denmark kicks out five of its top players over sponsorship row

Statement by Badminton Denmark

Badminton Denmark ceases cooperation with five players

Badminton Denmark has today ceased cooperation with Chris Pedersen, Kamilla Rytter Juhl, Joachim Fischer, Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen. Disagreement on jersey sponsorship for the World Cup for the team and a breach of the collective plays agreement from the players' side means that Badminton Denmark regret to have been forced to stop cooperation.

The five players have chosen not to be available for the Danish national team at the collective agreed terms for the Sudirman Cup. Badminton Denmark has signed a collective agreement through the player association with national team players. The collective agreement describes, among other things, that Badminton Denmark can draw national team sponsorships on behalf of all players on the Danish national team, and this happened earlier this year when the biscuit company Danisa bought sponsorship rights for the Sudirman Cup team jersey.

The five players have refused to stand for available for the national team, in the collective agreement terms with reference to their individual contracts do not allow it. That's why Badminton Denmark does believe that players have drawn individual contracts that are contrary to the collective plays agreement, and players have not shown willingness to bring their individual contracts in accordance with the collective agreement plays.

Badminton Denmark therefore sees no other reasonable way out than to discontinue cooperation. This means that: players stop on a national team training, players will no longer receive support of Badminton Denmark, Badminton Denmark terminates the individual national team agreement with the players, Badminton Denmark takes out other players for the Sudirman Cup.

To make money Badminton Denmark needs to work through the national team, and so we made ​​this and other collaborations with Danisa. It is not acceptable that players have broken the collective agreement by entering into personal contracts that are contrary to this. As the players also have not tried to put this right, we unfortunately have had to stop cooperating, says René Toft, president of Badminton Denmark.