KUALA LUMPUR: Popular football personality Serbegeth "Shebby" Singh died today, leaving many fans in shock.
It is learnt that the 61-year-old, who was known for his colourful and passionate punditry on television, suffered a heart attack while cycling in Sunway Iskandar in Johor Baru.
Shebby started his football career as a defender for Johor in the late 1970s and made his impact in the M-League after moving to Kuala Lumpur.
A rock in the KL central defence, Shebby was a key member of the legendary KL team that won the Malaysia Cup three years in a row from 1987–89.
Shebby, who was outspoken on football issues and a favourite with Malaysian sportswriters, played for Malaysia from 1982 to 1991, including appearing in three Asian Games (1982, 1986 and 1990). He also helped Malaysia win the gold at the 1989 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games.
In seeing action in local football for 18 years, from 1978 to 1996, Shebby had won every domestic honour, including the Malaysia Cup, FA Cup and Malaysian League title.
In 2006, Shebby became the coach of reality TV football team MyTeam. He also served as Melaka's technical adviser in 2007.
Outspoken and insightful, Shebby went on to become a popular TV pundit in Asia before moving to the English Premier League as Blackburn Rovers global adviser in 2012.
Shebby's last stint with football saw him serving as technical adviser to Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) from 2014-2015.
FA of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Amin said he was saddened to hear about Shebby's death, and offered his heartfelt condolences to his family.
"Sad day for Malaysia football. He was a great player and a friend," said Hamidin.
Meanwhile, in a statement on social media, Johor Darul Ta'zim also expressed their condolences to the family of their former technical adviser.
