[S I M T A N]

Gone are the days of S Rajagopal, Dollah Kassim, Quah Kim Song, Mohammed Noh, Soh Chin Aun, Mokhtar Dahari

They were part of SG & M'sia's golden generation in the 70s & 80's. Quicksilver Quah, Towkay Chin Ann and the Camel are still in the land of the living but the rest are no longer living. The world belongs to the living.

Those living legends aside, other fine players deserving of attention include Zainal Abidin, Mohamed Noh, Samad Allapitchay, V Khanisen, Arshad Khamis, R Suriamurthi and Edmund Wee, SG's first professional footballer.

Many oldies told me that their games were a joy to watch, and they evoked patriotism in fans whenever they won the M'sia Cup. In those days the players played for the love of the game and the country, and donning the national colours filled them with pride. Sport then was also used for character development. Money was never an issue.

Since the 80's, the beautiful game and most sporting activities have become controlled by money, with players regularly receiving staggering amounts of money for their sporting prowess. Like pop stars, they can be revered as gods and are used to sell almost every type of merchandize and product imaginable. The glorious days of the M'sia Cup are dead and gone.