Serbegeth "Shebby" Singh's sudden passing on January 12, 2022 triggered a slew of tributes on social media to the Malaysian football legend. Tatler reaches out to 3 Malaysians who had met and worked with him to talk about his legacy.
Serbegeth Singh has passed away from an apparent heart attack while out cycling in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. He was 61.
The former national footballer began his career in 1978 and he would go on to represent Malaysia at various international tournaments including Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. He was part of the team that won gold at the Southeast Asian Games in 1989.
After retiring from competitive sport, Shebby, as he was fondly known, would go on and carve an illustrious career as a TV sports personality, injecting his punditry with refreshing candour on on Fox Sports, ESPN Asia and Astro SuperSport. The Johorean was also the technical adviser for Johor Darul Ta'zim from 2014 - 2015.
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His reputation and influence in the football field, particularly in football broadcasting, is undeniable. Regardless of whether you agreed with him or not, Shebby will go down in history as one of Malaysia's most iconic football personalities. We got two TV sports personalities and a former journalist to weigh in on his legacy.
Adam Carruthers, host on Astro SuperSport
"Shebby's no holds barred-style was refreshing. He said it like how he saw it and added personality to football punditry. He's a pundit we would talk about at mamak stalls. In fact, he would be talked about not just in Malaysia but across Asia and all the way to the UK. That's why he's a trailblazer. His breadth of influence was astounding. He had set a new benchmark as a pundit. Punditry changed in the UK when Gary Neville went into TV. It's now much more nuanced and refined. However, Shebby and company were delivering that to Asian audiences long before this!"
Nicholas John, sports media professional
"I remember the first time working with him, there was a lot of talk about Shebby as the TV pundit and his persona on air, and it made me curious to see what he was like in person. I can tell you that he was unbelievably professional, super prepared, collaborative, and extremely passionate about the game. I never met Shebby the footballer but I'm pretty sure he was the same on the pitch—fearless and ultra-confident. He paved the way for many Malaysian athletes to step into media and broadcasting, squashing public perception that Malaysian athletes struggled to articulate their thoughts and reactions."