PRESS RELEASE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT HULU SELANGOR

1 November 2015

Tamil school futsal tournament to honour our forgotten national football legend, N .Thanabalan

It was the Malaysia Cup Final 1968. Two arch-rivals during the 1960s, Selangor and Penang, were in the final, and in the end, Selangor triumphed. However, what many of us forgot on that eventful day in 1968 was the scoring prowess of a young man who scored four goals in a Malaysia Cup final and that record has yet to be broken after 47 years! That man is none other than national and Selangor football legend, Thanabalan Nadarajah or better known as N. Thanabalan. Thanabalan first represented the country when he was 17 years old at the 1960 Asian Youth tournament and later graduated to the senior team from 1963 to 1971. Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Education, YB P. Kamalanathan acknowledged the contribution of Thanabalan recently with a Tamil school futsal tournament in honour of this national football legend. The tournament was held among Tamil schools in Hulu Selangor. Six Tamil schools in Hulu Selangor with more than 80 students participated in this tournament. Thanabalan was also present during the tournament to witness and provide his invaluable advise and coaching tips to the students and accompanying teachers. Thanabalan had earned 107 caps playing for the country and was a nippy and skilful striker that put fear in opponents’ heart. In the 1968 Merdeka tournament that Malaysia won 3–0 in the final against then Asian powerhouse Burma (now known as Myanmar), Thanabalan scored a total of eight goals in six matches. As a national player, Thanabalan had represented Malaysia at the Merdeka Tournament, SEAP Games, Asian Games, Kings Cup in Thailand and Vietnam Cup. He also represented Malaysia in friendly matches against Arsenal FC, Asian All Stars and the Western Australian team. Thanabalan was certainly a national hero. He played alongside legends of that era such as Stanley Gabrielle, Chow Chee Keong, Wong Choon Wah, Abdullah Nordin, Wong Fook Yong, Sardar Khan, Ibrahim Mydin, Namat Abdullah, Shaharuddin Abdullah and M. Chandran.

In fact, the next generation of Malaysian football legends such as Datuk Soh Chin Aun, Datuk Santokh Singh, Datuk Shukor Saleh and the late Mokhtar Dahari and R. Arumugam were waiting in the wings while admiring the skills and prowess of Thanabalan. Did we forget to acknowledge the contributions of Thanabalan? Yes we have said YB Kamalanathan. “Thanabalan was a legend during his time and the country was proud to have a dedicated and committed forward who put fear in his opponents. While many of his juniors in the national football team had been awarded Datukship, sadly this man has been forgotten,” said YB Kamalanathan. After his playing days, Thanabalan continued to be involved in football with the youths and got himself involved with club sides such as Kilat Club, TPCA FC and Sentul Indian Rangers. He was also one of the founding members of the Ex-State & Ex-National Footballers’ Association of Malaysia. He currently holds the post of vice-president in the association that focusses on the welfare of its members who are mostly ex-state and ex-national football players. Thanabalan is past 72 years old and it would be a most momentous day for this national legend to be acknowledged for his services and sacrifices to the nation. Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) owe this gentlemen a favour and it would be ideal if MIC will take up this cause and bestow this legend what he is due or a matter of fact, overdue, said Kamalanathan. At the tournament, SJKT Bukit Beruntung became the champion defeating SJKT Kuala Kubu Bahru 2 – 0 in the final, while SJKT Sg Choh was third. The winners were awarded a challenge trophy, cash of RM300, RM200 & RM100 respectively and certificate of participation. YB Kamalanathan also sponsored a ball each to all the schools that participated in this competition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For further information, please contact Thomas at 012 206 8260

Kamalanathan (standing 4th from left) talking to the students about Thanabalan (standing 3rd from left)

Group photography before the tournament

Thanabalan (left) and Kamalanathan watching the players in action

Kamalanathan (in blue shirt) and Thanabalan meeting the players before the tournament began.

Kamalanathan (sitting right) and Thanabalan (standing right) with SJKT Bukit Beruntung (Champion) before the start of the tournament

Kamalanathan motivating the players before the start of a match