WITHOUT fear or favour was how legendary Asean football defender Serbegeth Singh, or simply Shebby Singh, lived his six decades as a very much controversial but respected Malaysian sportsman.
Shebby was simply unique. He not only did his talking on the field – he had a huge collection of medals and trophies during his two-decade career – but also off it as a popular football pundit. He was, in my opinion, one sportsman blessed with the “gift of the gab”.Not always right or wrong , he always had his refreshing ideas and he staunchly stuck by them.
I do recollect when Shebby Singh at the Blackburn’s training ground and pointed to a prominent motivational magazine’s tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson pinned up on the noticeboard. He remarked, rather mischievously: “What an interesting article – a pity we didn’t put any of Ferguson’s methods into practice!”
“Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and appreciation on social media, it’s amazing. He just wanted the best for Malaysian football. Much like a teacher who would scold or praise but at the end of the day, he loved football and the country,” said Sonuljit as his father was cremated on Friday in Kuala Lumpur.
And he was a joy to interview every time I met him. There was always superior substance in his sharing of knowledge and his years of experience would show. He was bold in his comments too, absolutely without fear or favour. Singapore’s Fandi Ahmad, who was his teammate at Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, was “very sad to hear of the shocking news”. He added: “Shebby was a good friend. He was very friendly and jovial, and very good at motivating others. He was a good player and a good talker who gave clear instructions on the field.”By the way, Shebby’s much-flavoured gift of the gab led him to become a prominent football pundit on TV, working with Astro SuperSport, Fox Sports and ESPN Asia for the past 24 years.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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