PBSI Will Call The Minions After Marcus Announces His Retirement

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – Head of the Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI, Ricky Soebagdja, stated that he would invite Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, known as “The Minions”. This call follows Marcus' recent retirement decision.

Previously, Marcus Gideon announced via his official social media account in early March that he had decided to end his career as a professional badminton player after 25 years in the sport.

Ricky revealed that Marcus' resignation letter had been received by the federation before going to accompany the athletes on the European tour.

“Later I will meet with them and I will ask about their condition. We seem to have received their resignation letter, now we are waiting for their response,” said Ricky when met at the PP PBSI Cipayung National Training Center on Wednesday (27/3/2024) quoted from Between.

“We will invite both of them, because they are a couple. The resignation letter was from Marcus, but we want to meet with both of them to find out their plans for the future,” he added.

Furthermore, Ricky explained that one of the considerations for inviting Kevin was because his name was still included in the list of athletes registered in this year's Pelatnas Decree. However, Kevin never trained with other athletes at the PBSI National Training Center.

“Even so, Kevin is still included in the National Pelatnas Decree, so he should follow the rules. We will ask about his plans. Kevin and Marcus have extraordinary achievements, so it is important for us to communicate with them about their future,” explained Ricky.

“Of course Marcus has clearly resigned. Regarding Kevin, we will see what his plans are, whether he will continue to play, whether we need to find a new partner for him, all of that is still uncertain,” he added.

Ricky also stated that several coaches, such as men's doubles coach Aryono Miranat and PBSI coach Rionny Mainaky, would likely meet with Marcus/Kevin in the near future.

He hopes that the meeting can provide clarity regarding Kevin's future in the world of badminton.

“In my opinion, as head of the field, Kevin still has the potential to continue to contribute as a player. Especially in men's doubles, as shown by The Daddies (Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan) who is still playing. “What's important is his commitment, I hope he can be an inspiration for other players under him,” explained Ricky.

Meanwhile, for Marcus, Ricky hopes that the federation can hold a special event to appreciate his career and achievements for more than two decades in Indonesian badminton.

“There should be a farewell event, in whatever form, to say goodbye to him properly,” he added.