Former Singapore national hockey team manager Farouk Marican Ali dies at 80

SINGAPORE – Former national hockey stalwart and team manager Farouk Marican Ali “lived and breathed” the sport and cared deeply for his players, said members of the local hockey community who mourned his death and paid tribute to him on Feb 26.

Farouk, who died on Feb 26 at the age of 80, leaves behind his wife Jacinta Arriola, 68, and daughter Shaeen Marican, 42. His family did not reveal the cause of death.

A defender in the late 1960s and 70s, he played for local sides Ceylon Sports Club and Singapore Cricket Club and the national team from 1968 to 1971.

He later managed the various Singapore men’s squads from 1982 to 1994, except for a year’s break from 1987 to 1988 before another spell as team manager in the 2000s.

Lawyer and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza, a former national hockey player, told The Straits Times that Farouk made a huge impact on his life through sport.

He was the team manager during de Souza’s time as a player with the youth and senior national teams.

Choking up as he spoke to ST about his former mentor, de Souza, 50, said: “He lived and breathed hockey. He was so passionate about hockey.

“He was a wonderful ambassador for sportsmanship and all the values that come with team sport.

“I had the privilege of entering his life when I was still very young.

“He is a person that I really, really looked up to.”

De Souza shared that Farouk would go out of his way to spend time to help develop young players.

He added: “When I was 14 years old, and he was helping out with the managing and coaching of the Singapore Colts (national Under-15 team), he would come down to our training, which was either at the College of Physical Education, or the Delta Sports Complex.

“I was a goalkeeper, and so he would come early, and he would train me up in my shot-stopping. He would take shots to train the goalkeepers... and his shots were incredibly powerful. I can recount this with absolute admiration – he could wind that stick and connect that ball so perfectly that it would just rocket, and you felt it. He didn’t need to do all of that, but he spent so much of his time and imparted so much of his skill and knowledge to us, and I gained a deep admiration for him as a mentor.”

Hakikat Rai, who covered local sports for ST from the 80s to 90s, said that Farouk was always generous with the people he knew, and that he “cared deeply” for his players.

He added: “Farouk was well versed in the game, having played at club and national level.

“He had a deep understanding of the sport and the latest training methods, constantly keeping in touch with the likes of Germany-born International Hockey Federation master coach Horst Wein, a respected international expert in hockey and football.

“Farouk, in a sense, was way ahead of his peers during that era in terms of the sport’s administration – a time when local hockey was undergoing changes.”

Such was Farouk’s generosity that some players remember him forking out his own money for team supplies and allowances.

Krishnan Vijayan Naidu, who was a key part of the national team in the 80s and 90s, recounted how Farouk would pay to get jerseys printed for them ahead of training trips, and how he would go out of his way to help those who were not well-off.

Krishnan, who is currently the national men’s team coach, said: “At that time, we hardly had sponsors so he would print shirts as a way to help athletes look good.

“I even remember a time when we had a training trip to Malaysia and I did not have enough money to make the trip, and he gave me some allowance. Not just me, he helped many players and supported them in many ways.

“Even last year when he was already very ill, I visited him, and he spoke at length about the current team and gave me advice, motivation and encouragement. His passing is a huge loss for our hockey community.”