Taufiq Hidayat has been threatened with police action

Jakarta: Badminton’s bad boy Taufik Hidayat was threatened with police action after an undisclosed incident just hours ahead of Indonesia’s crunch Thomas Cup match against China, officials said on Monday.

Local media reported that the Asian champion punched a driver after a minor collision involving his sports car in the car park of the Senayan Indoor Stadium.

The Jakarta Post said Taufik, who has a history of violent disputes, punched Jacky Darmawan, driver for Ahmad Kalla, whose brother is vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Kalla.

“Taufik reportedly became involved in a quarrel with Jacky, and the No. 17 ranked player in the world then allegedly punched Jacky,” the Post said. Badminton officials played down the incident and said Taufik had not been reported to police.

“The man who wanted to report him did not come to the police station so there is no report,” said Chairul Tanjung, president of the Badminton Association of Indonesia. “It wasn’t a fight but a small problem. His car (Taufik’s) was bumped,” Indonesian team manager Christian Hadinata told the state Antara news agency.