FORMER national footballer, Serbegeth “Shebby” Singh, will be remembered for his versatility with his legs as much as his mouth.
Yesterday (Jan 12), the 61 year-old who excelled as one of the few Asian TV pundits in the English-speaking football sphere suffered a heart attack while cycling in Sunway Iskandar in Johor Baru.
Shebby is survived by wife Harbans Kaur, who is also a former national athlete, son Sonuljit Singh and daughter Natassha Kaur.
Recall that Shebby’s punditry stint eventually led him to serve as Blackburn Rovers’ Global Adviser during the 2012-2013 season.
Shebby started his football career as a defender for Johor in the late 1970s and made his impact in the M-League after moving to Kuala Lumpur.
A rock in the KL central defence, Shebby was a key member of the legendary Kuala Lumpur team that won the Malaysia Cup three years in a row from 1987-1989.
With his gift of the gab, Shebby was outspoken on football issues and a favourite among Malaysian sportswriters.
He donned the national jersey from 1982 to 1991, including appearing in three Asian Games (1982, 1986 and 1990). He also helped Malaysia win the gold at the 1989 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games.
Throughout his 18-year local football action from 1978 to 1996, Shebby had won every domestic honour, including the Malaysia Cup, FA Cup and Malaysian League title.
In 2006, Shebby became the coach of reality TV football team MyTeam. He also served as Melaka’s technical adviser in 2007.
Shebby’s last stint with football saw him serving as technical adviser to Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) from 2014-2015.
FA of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Amin said he was saddened to hear about Shebby’s death, and offered his heartfelt condolences to his family. “Sad day for Malaysia football. He was a great player and a friend,” said Hamidin.
In a statement on social media, Johor Darul Ta’zim also expressed their condolences to the family of their former technical adviser. – Jan 13, 2022
