Former national footballer Shebby Singh dies

Former national football player Serbegeth Singh, popularly known as Shebby Singh, died while out cycling in Sunway at Iskandar Puteri yesterday. He was 61.

Iskandar Puteri district police chief ACP Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the incident.

“I have yet to get the full report. The incident occurred at about 7.30pm. He was believed to have fallen while cycling at the location,” he said.

Shebby, who represented Malaysia from 1982-1991, also turned out Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang before hanging up his boots in 1996.

Born on Aug 20, 1960, Shebby, who hailed from Kluang, Johor, was spotted by the late Abdul Shatar Khan who had a reputation for being a youth coach.

The late S Subramaniam convinced Shebby to migrate to Kuala Lumpur in 1983, a move that sparked controversy and which led to Shebby being suspended for a year by Johor for allegedly moving without permission.

He first donned national colours in the President’s Cup in South Korea in 1982. He went on to collect 61 caps, with his final outing as a Malaysian player coming against England at the Merdeka Stadium in 1991.

Throughout his time with the Harimau Malaya from 1982-1991, Shebby also appeared in three Asian Games – 1982 (Delhi), 1986 (Seoul) and 1990 (Beijing) – besides winning the SEA Games gold medal in the 1989 edition and bronze in the 1985 edition.

In domestic football, Shebby was known as a solid defender throughout his time with Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan before going on on to carve a name for himself as a television personality, becoming a football pundit, including on Astro SuperSport, FoxSports and ESPN Asia.

As a centreback with Kuala Lumpur, he won the league title in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989; the Malaysia Cup in 1987, 1988 and 1989; and the FA Cup in 1993 and 1994.

Apart from being the global adviser of English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in 2012-2013, Shebby was also the adviser for reality TV football team MyTeam and Melaka Telekom FC, besides being the technical adviser for Johor Darul Ta’zim.