THE PASSING OF A MASTER SHOWMAN
Malaysian football needs men like Anthonysamy to fill stadiums
HE was the type of men that Malaysian football needs, the kind who made the game flourish. And today, Malaysian football is plagued by financial problems because there are not many who think like him.
Datuk S. Anthonysamy, the former FA of Selangor (FAS) secretary who died last week at the age of 86, could help pack stadiums with his words alone.
A master showman in the mould of famed circus owner P.T. Barnum, Anthonysamy would make it his business to add drama and fanfare to Selangor’s pre-match talk.
I still remember Anthonysamy with a group of reporters at an empty Merdeka Stadium in 1981. It was the day before the Malaysia Cup final. His eyes sweeping the terraces and his index finger pointing to the centre of the field, he declared: “You guys write this. I’m going to bring a cangkul tomorrow.”
When I asked what’s the cangkul for, Anthonysamy audaciously said: “It’s for Selangor to bury Singapore.”
Next, the newspapers headlines screamed: “Selangor vow to bury Singapore at Merdeka Stadium.”
It had the desired effect. The fans came, taking up every seat available. There was hardly any space, even to stand and watch; the stadium was bursting at its seams.
Selangor did bury Singapore deep, 4-0. So, it was no shallow talk by Anthonysamy.
That is Anthonysamy for you, the ringmaster who always had something exciting for the media. He knew what the newspapers wanted, and he gave them what they wanted.
He knew the team needed to sell tickets, needed crowds at stadiums and publicity to attract sponsors.
Anthonysamy also helped the late R. Ramalingam, FAS treasurer, to bring Maradona and Boca Juniors to Kuala Lumpur in 1982, and promote their exhibition match. They also looked for teams from South America and Africa, making the annual Merdeka Tournament a full house affair.
Big names like Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and R. Arumugam were around at Selangor, but Anthonysamy would never hesitate to join the pre-match media talk though his job was as a FA administrator. For him, it was not about stealing the limelight from the stars, it was about selling tickets to improve their financial standing.
Anthonysamy was, after all, the secretary of FAS, making him responsible for the “well-being” of the association and the team. And so, he did his part in selling tickets.
Reporters could call Anthonysamy on his house phone anytime of the day, even waking him up from his afternoon naps. And he would entertain them with a prematch story that is worth a dream
headline for newspaper editors. Yes, just to sell tickets.
AnthonysamyandRamalingam were the savvy type who knew they could not rely, 100 per cent, on state governments or others to save them in bad times. So, they learned to be financially independent.
By contrast, it has been a sad story in the so-called professional era of today’s M-League. Year in, year out, teams lament they have no money, and players cry they are not getting their salaries.
A former trade unionist, while working for Petaling Jaya Town Council, Anthonysamy later joined Hume Industries as an administrative officer with the role of running their sports club that played in the Selangor league. From 1986, he was full time with FAS.
A man in an amateur era who thought like a professional, AnthonysamyhelpedtransformSelangor
into the richest and strongest football state in the 1980s.
In an interview with veteran sportswriter Tony Mariadass last year, Anthonysamy said: “Football has gone professional these days, and everything is about money. Passion has taken a backseat.
“We have seen glorious days both with Selangor and Malaysian football when it was amateur. It should be even better these days with professionalism, but sadly it has not reached its true potential.
“Great efforts are being made, there is big money and great facilities, but I feel Malaysian football can be on a higher platform than it is today.”
Indeed, the M-League could have been on a higher platform with more wise men like Anthonysamy around.