HE was a Malaysian football legend during his time in the 60s and 70s and still considered as one of the best defenders Malaysia had ever produced.
He was selected to be on the prestigious Asian All Stars football team in 1968 that played against English Premier League team Arsenal.
He was the captain of the only Malaysian football team till today to have qualified and played in the Olympics in 1972 (Malaysian qualified again for the Olympics in 1980 but boycotted the games).
He had achieved great heights in the local football scene as a player, coach and administrator. He had won numerous Malaysia Cup medals as a player and a coach. I doubt there is anyone equal to him up to this day.
This legendary individual is none other than Datuk Muthuveeran Chandran or commonly known as M. Chandran.
Chandran was born in Sungai Siput, Perak on May 4, 1942. His father was employed in the Malayan Railways and the family lived in the railway quarters there before moving to the railway quarters in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
His phenomenal rise to fame began in 1961 when he was selected to the national youth team.
Two years later, in 1963, he was selected to be in the Selangor football team together with such great names as Teh Cheng Lee, Abdullah Noordin, Edwin Dutton, Stanley Gabrielle, Arthur Koh, Abdul Ghani Minhat, M. Govindarajoo and others. Chandran was the youngest member of the team then.
The period from 1968 to 1974 was a golden era for Malaysian football, and Chandran played a pivotal role in it as a pillar of strength in the heart of our defence.
Under Chandran’s captaincy, we emerged as the Merdeka tournament champion in 1968, qualified for the Olympics in 1972 and won a bronze medal in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran, the highest award our football team had achieved since.
He also led the Malaysian team to podium finishes in the 1969, 1971, and 1973 SEAP Games.
Chandran passed away on September 28, 2019 at age 77, after a brave 17-year battle with motor neuron disease.
Up to 2016, he was still very active as the president of the ex-State & ex-National Footballers Association of Malaysia.
It will be a fitting tribute to this great man, who had brought joy and pride to all Malaysians with his exploits on the football pitch as well after his playing days as coach and administrator, to consider a road in Selangor after his name.
Legendary Malaysian football players after him have been fittingly recognised through the Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy in Pahang, Datuk R. Arumugam Mini Stadium in Klang and Jalan Datuk R. Arumugam.
Most recently, the Penang state government had recognised the success and contribution of one of their own local heroes, Datuk M. Kuppan, by naming a road in Penang, Jalan M. Kuppan.
It will be a great honour, therefore, to Chandran and his family, if the state government of Selangor will consider recognising Chandran’s incomparable sacrifices, contributions and achievements for the state of Selangor and the nation, by naming a road, a stadium, a field or a football academy under his name. – The Vibes, June 6, 2022
Thomas Samuel is the honorary secretary of the ex-State & ex-National Footballers Association Malaysia
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