KUALA LUMPUR – “He knew nothing about football, yet he would still come see me play at tournaments.”
These were the words of national football legend Datuk Soh Chin Ann, who is mourning the loss of his father, Soh Tee Tong, who passed away on Sunday. He was 107 years old.
Speaking to The Vibes, Chin Ann said his father was never in favour of him playing football because of the amount of time Chin Ann spent on the field with his friends.
Chin Ann’s father even went to the extent of cutting his football boots to pieces.
I still remember my father cutting my first football boots into pieces because I used to spend too much time on the field with my friends.
“My father was against it (playing football) initially.
“I would be playing with my friends from about 2pm until late evening daily.
“Back then, there was barely any other entertainment. So, I loved spending my days playing football,” said Chin Ann, who began playing at the tender age of 8.
Chin Ann, who is now 72, added that the football field was just across from his father’s grocery store.
Following the boots incident, the mischievous young Chin Ann would hide his new pair of boots at a workshop next to his father’s store.
However, as Chin Ann grew older, played, and won tournaments, his father started to accept his calling and showed up to his matches.
“When I started to do well in football, especially when I joined the national team at 19, he began to understand my purpose in the sport and accepted it as my calling.
“Although he knew nothing about football, he would still come to watch me play at the tournament with his friends,” he added.
Chin Ann started to play football professionally when he was about 15 years old in inter-school leagues.
At the same time, he was absorbed into the national team at 19 and earned his full international caps for Malaysia at the 1969 King’s Cup.
He is also most popularly known as “Tauke” for his astute and firm leadership on and off the field, where he was instrumental in helping Malaysia qualify for two Olympic Games – 1972 in Munich and 1980 in Moscow.
Chin Ann, who represented the country from 1969 to 1984, also guided Malaysia to clinch the bronze medal at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran, Iran.
Close to four decades after his retirement in 1984, he was finally recognised by FIFA for his achievements after the international body validated his 195 of 222 recorded international appearances in Category A matches.
Chin Ann, who is the fourth of eight siblings, described his father as a loving and kind person.
“My father was a quite simple man. I knew he loved me very much.”
Chin Ann’s father, whose health was deteriorating, was admitted to the Alor Gajah Hospital on Thursday, and passed away at 1am. – The Vibes, September 13, 2022
