Selvaraju to play in Italian League
KUALA LUMPUR: February was a memorable month for former international hockey forward S. Selvaraju.
On Feb 10, his club Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) lifted their firstever silverware in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) by winning the TNB Cup (overall Cup).
And on Feb 22, his wife Pushppa Devi, a former national squash player, gave birth to their first child – a daughter they named S. Shweta.
Pushppa is the daughter of the late Star journalist Y.P. Sivam.
The 33yearold Selvaraju, who represented Malaysia since 2007, will return to Europe to play in the Italian Hockey League for his club Pistoia next week.
The Perakborn player will be featuring in the Italian League for the fifth time.
He made his debut in the league in 2013 and played for Armisicora but in the following year he had to skip the league because of his commitment with the national team.
Selvaraju featured in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
A beaming Selvaraju said he is happy to be a father.
“I love my family very much. And I want to be with them as my daughter is only a few weeks old.
“But I have to leave for Italy on Monday to continue playing in the league.
“I have signed a contract with them and they need my services for this season’s league,” said Selvaraju, who was a member of the Malaysian team that won bronze at the 2007 Asia Cup in Chennai.
“I thank my wife as she understands my commitment to my club Pistoia.
“I also thank my motherinlaw for taking care of my daughter.
“I love playing for the club as I was also named the assistant coach last year,” said Selvaraju, who also played in the 2009 World Cup qualifiers in Invercargill, New Zealand.
“I missed the club’s opening match last week but I’m expected to feature in the second match next week.
“I’ll be playing about nine to 10 matches and I hope to help my club finish in the top two to gain promotion to Division One next year.
“My club Pistoia will also feature in the fourclub competition with Roma, Bologna and Pisa. And I hope to score a few goals to help them win the competition,” said Selvaraju, who is the only Malaysian hockey player to have featured in eight different leagues in the world.
Besides Malaysia and Italy, he has played in leagues in Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Another Malaysian player, Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof, was also supposed to play for Pistoia Club this season but had to undergo shin surgery recently and is out of action for three months.