The stage is set. The preparations have been made. And the venue awaits a host of players. The Sultan of Selangor Cup. Ten years of nostalgic football gatherings between two teams, rich in tradition and cultures, not forgetting the rivalry and energy-charged matches between them in the past.
Ahead of the annual invitational tournament, ex-Singapore skipper, Samad Allapitchay took time off to talk to about the eagerly awaited festival.
To anyone who would have been lucky enough to watch him ply his trade in the seventies, Samad was widely remembered as a hard tackling no-nonsense defender. Known for his less-than-forgiving tackles, Samad fondly shares his thoughts on the annual event.
To kick-things off, Samad briefly describes the enormity and importance of this year’s edition of the Sultan of Selangor Cup. “It will be a very grand event. It marks ten years of the Sultan of Selangor being in power. It will be more than just football. There will be entertainments, paratroopers and fireworks. This will be the biggest Sultan of Selangor to date”.
Samad, who captained the Lions in the 1977 Malaysia Cup, recalls his playing days when he donned the red jersey of the Lions and led the Singapore side onto the battle field. As Samad remembers, “The football rivalry between Singapore and Selangor has always been a special one. On the pitch, we hated each other,” he chuckles.
“What many fans do not know, is that, on the pitch, the players from both sides will not hold anything back. When we play Selangor in the early days, we will fight. We will hit each other. We don’t care”, Samad remembers the matches that were played between the two states, with a squint his eyes.
But the hardened look on his face quickly turned into wide smile as he describes the usual practice after a Singapore Selangor match.
“What many fans do not know or see is that, after these matches, players from both sides would sit and chat over coffee and we would talk about the game,” said Samad with a hearty laugh. He continues,
“But you got to know that the rivalry on the pitch was real and raw. We played with passion, as though each match was our last. Pure football from start to the end. “
Such was the passion and desire to fight for the nation when the two states met. Bruises and aches were a norm, and worn like badges of honour with pride.
“The Sultan of Selangor Cup is always a special event and we owe it to the football rivalry between us. When I travel up to Selangor, there won’t be short of people and old friends for me to meet and they would all be wanting to meet up with me to catch up on the good old times”.
Coming back to current times, Samad describes how the friendships were forged, strengthened and retained over the decades. “The friendships that were made along the way from the Malaysia Cup days up to this day, is priceless. And the hospitality when we are in Selangor is first-class”
When asked whether he had any one special moment in the ten years of the tournament, the veteran footballer was quick to reply, “To be honest, every Sultan of Selangor edition is a special one for me. The mixture of football traditions, cultures and rivalries is thick in the air, and when you walk onto the pitch, each and every player will be overwhelmed with emotions. Having said that, we play on the pitch for entertainment to the crowd.”
He continues, “The fans grew together with us and they pay to watch a bunch of retired footballers having a kick-about. We give them what they want to see”.
Samad Allapitchay, who is in his seventies will be travelling up to Shah Alam with the Singapore Veterans’ team as a coach, but at the same time, travelling down memory lane.
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