Parkaran Kutty
A red card that caused heartache at the French Open badminton
STANDFIRST: Coincidentally, the French pair who lost a point were beneficiaries of the 25-second rule at the Indonesia Open in June when playing against a Malaysian pair.
It was déjà vu for Malaysian badminton fans who witnessed a red card dished out to home pair Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue at a critical juncture which saw them losing a point to their Chinese opponents when the score was tied 19-19 in the rubber game at the French Open semi-final last Saturday.
Coincidentally, the French pair were beneficiaries of the strictly enforced 25-second rule when the umpire at the Indonesia Open quarter-final match in June awarded a point to the rivals of Malaysian mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie after issuing a red card for allegedly wasting time. It was Indonesian umpire Helen Purnama Sari who showed a red card to the Malaysians who strongly criticised the decision that led them to not only losing the match but also being fined US$500 for the offence.
On Oct 24, 2026, umpire Trish Gubb from New Zealand issued a controversial red card to Thom-Delphine when the score was tied 19-19 in the deciding game against China’s world No 1 pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping for violating the 25-second rule in the semi-final match at the Arena Grand Paris in France.
Under the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) latest regulations, players are given only 25 seconds before play must resume.BWF’s 25-Second Time Clock Trial Explained (2026) The penalty handed match point (20-19) to the Chinese pair, who then converted it on the subsequent rally to take the match because a red card in badminton automatically awards a point to the opposing side
The decision drew sharp criticism from fans and players alike, who argued that enforcing the BWF's strict 25-second service clock rule without contextualising the fatigue from the previous exhausting rally ruined the climax of a spectacular match. It happened after an intensive 38-shot rally and the French pair had only taken an extra five seconds to recover, which must have also benefited their rivals in the process.
On air commentators noted that the umpire's strict application of the rule at a critical juncture "completely, unnecessarily ruined the finish". Most of them said it was a poor discretion that unfairly benefitted the Chinese pair.
Former national coaching director James Selvaraj said while he agreed the 25-second rule was good to keep the matches going smoothly and fairly, umpires must be told to be careful not to issue red cards during critical moments such as this. He said one has to be a player on court to understand the heartache they can go through when you lose a point to the opponents and give them match-point.
“It’s a heartbreak that the players have to endure for a long timeespecially when it’s a crucial juncture in a semi-final or final match. In yesterday’s case, it was after an intense 38-shot rally in the third and deciding game.
“It was an extraordinary moment which should have been taken into consideration by the umpire as the game could have gone either way otherwise. Nobody wants to lose a match at a top-level tournament in such a manner,” he told Newswav.
He admitted that watching the clock while trying to serve will definitely add pressure on the players but it is something that they will have to learn to deal with in their training.
Parkaran Kutty (parkarank@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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