From Thomas Samuel
He is a Malaysian football legend from his time playing for the national team in the 1960s and 70s and is still considered one of the best defenders Malaysia has ever produced.
He was selected to be on the prestigious Asian All-Stars football team in 1968 that played against the English top tier side, Arsenal.
He was captain of the only Malaysian football team to have qualified and played in the Olympics in 1972 (Malaysia qualified again for the Olympics in 1980 but boycotted the Moscow Games following the then Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan).
He reached great heights in the local football scene as a player, coach and administrator. He won numerous Malaysia Cup medals as a player and a coach.
I doubt there is anyone who can match his exploits to this day.
This legendary individual is none other than Chandran Muthuveeran or more 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 represented the national youth team. Two years later, he played for Selangor 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 at the time.
The period from 1968 to 1974 was a golden era for Malaysian football and Chandran played a pivotal role during that time as captain and the pillar of strength in the heart of our defence.
Under Chandran’s captaincy, we became Merdeka tournament champions in 1968, qualified for the Olympics in 1972 and won a bronze medal in the 1974 Asian Games in Teheran, the highest honour our football team has ever achieved.
He also led the Malaysian team to podium finishes in the 1969, 1971 and 1973 SEAP Games (now SEA Games).
Chandran passed away on Sept 28, 2019, at the age of 77 after a 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 brought joy and pride to all Malaysians with his exploits on the football pitch, that a road in Selangor be named after him.
Legendary Malaysian football players after him have been fittingly recognised, such as the Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy in Pahang, as well as the Datuk R Arumugam Mini Stadium and Jalan Datuk R Arumugam in Klang.
More recently, the Penang state government recognised the success and contributions of one of their own local heroes, M Kuppan, by naming a road in Penang after him, Jalan M Kuppan.
Therefore, it will be a great honour to Chandran and his family if the Selangor government considers recognising Chandran’s incomparable sacrifices, achievements and contributions to the state and nation, by naming a road, a stadium, a field or a football academy after him.
Thomas Samuel is the honorary secretary of the Ex-State & Ex-National Footballers Association Malaysia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.