JOHOR BAHRU: Former national defender Serbegeth “Shebby” Singh has passed away. He was 61.
According to Iskandar Puteri district police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, Shebby was believed to have died from a heart attack while out cycling.
In a statement, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) extended its condolences to his family.
(20 August 1960 – 12 January 2022) is a Malaysian former footballer. Since retiring, he has worked as a coach as well as a sports broadcaster in Asia. He was Blackburn Rovers’ Global Adviser during the 2012/2013 season – he was accused of ‘presiding over the farcical decline of the club’
Coaching and media career
In 2006, Singh coached a fictional football team named ‘MyTeam’ for a Malaysian reality television show. The squad was mainly composed of amateur Malaysian footballers. During the series, the team visited the training grounds of Manchester United, where they faced a selection of United players. The game ended in a goalless draw. ‘MyTeam2’ was broadcast in 2007. They lost 2–0 to the Indonesia football team.
In 2007, Singh was appointed as technical advisor to Malaysia Super League club Melaka TMFC. He also had a brief stint as caretaker head coach of the club after previous coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim was sacked. He only lasted one year at the club.
Singh appears as a football analyst on South East Asian television
After making his international debut in 1982, Shebby was a key member of the national team for nine years, representing Malaysia in the Asian Games in 1982, 1986 and 1990. He also helped Harimau Malaya to a SEA Games gold medal in 1989 and a bronze medal in the 1985 SEA Games.
He donned the Malaysian kit 61 times, playing his final game against England in a friendly at Stadium Merdeka in 1991.
On the local front, Shebby played for his home state of Johor as well as Kuala Lumpur, where he achieved his greatest success as a player winning every major domestic honour.
Shebby led Kuala Lumpur to four consecutive league titles – 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 – three consecutive Malaysia Cup victories in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and two FA Cup titles in 1993 and 1994.
He also played for Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Perak in the 1990s.
In 2012, Shebby was appointed as a global adviser for Blackburn Rovers.
Over the past 24 years, Shebby has also been a regular football pundit on TV, working with Astro SuperSport, FoxSports and ESPN Asia
article FMT.
