FORMER Malaysian football captain M. Chandran died this morning. He was 77 years old.

Chandran had been the captain of both the national side and the Selangor team.

According to his friends, Chandran “passed away peacefully” about 7.30am with his family around him at his house in Ampang Jaya.

He will be cremated about 5pm today in Sentul.

In his heyday, the legendary tough tackling centreback had been feared all across Asia.

After his career on the field spanning more than 15 years, Chandran went on to become coach of both the Malaysia and Selangor teams.

Chandran suffered a stroke 13 years ago and in recent weeks, had been reported to be unwell.

The son of a train engine driver with the then Malayan Railways, Chandran was born in Sg Siput, Perak.

After moving to Selangor, he began playing football for the Selangor Indian Association (SIA).

He first caught the eye of Selangor team manager Harun Idris when he was with Chartered Bank, his employer then.

He had played with some of Malaysia’s most illustrious players, including Abdullah Nordin, Chow Chee Keong, Wong Choon Wah, Dell Akbar Khan, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, R. Arumugam and Mokhtar Dahari.

As national team captain, he led Malaysia to one of its greatest achievements in international football.

In 1971, Malaysia topped the Olympic qualification group comprising South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines to qualify for the first time to the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1974, Chandran retired from the national team and the following year, from Selangor.

Chandran was awarded a datukship from Pahang in 2000 for his services in national football. – September 28, 2019.