The Malaysian football fraternity was left in a state of mourning last Tuesday after news broke out that managerial great B. Sathianathan has lost his battle against cancer at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Sathianathan, who had taken charge of teams such as Selangor FA, FELDA United, ATM FA, and Kelantan FA among others, stepped down from his final role at Sarawak United in undergo medical treatment for his cancer back in June of last year.
The death of Sathianathan was confirmed last Tuesday by FIFA media officer and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) executive committee member Christopher Raj.
“Rest In Peace, Anna. You fought a good fight,” tweeted Christopher, using the Tamil word “Anna” to describe his brotherly relationship with Sathianathan.
A well-respected figure in Malaysian football, Sathianathan was often approached by sports writers for his insights on the game, which was backed by over 40 years of experience in the footballing scene as both player and coach.
Sathianathan first made his foray into coaching back in 1990, taking charge of the Negeri Sembilan youth team, before winning the Gold Cup two years later with the state’s senior team.
After a lengthy stint at FAM as their assistant coach for their Olympic squads, Sathianathan returned to club management in 2006, taking interim charge of the now-defunct Selangor MPPJ side.
That same year Sathianathan moved back to the national team setup, overseeing the U-23s from 2006 to 2008 with stints at the senior side being thrown in between 2007 and 2009, a position Sathianathan earned after his U-23s side won the 2007 Merdeka Tournament.
During his time at the senior national team squad, Sathianathan won praise from then-Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari after his Malaysia XI side managed to give a star-studded Chelsea outfit a run for their money in a 2008 friendly, with the Blues being made to work hard for their 2-0 win at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Sacked by the FAM following a heavy 5-0 defeat at the hands of the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier on February of 2009, Sathianathan’s next port of calling was Kelantan. With the Red Warriors, Sathianathan won the 2010 Malaysia Cup, only to be forced to leave his position following a six-month ban on coaching imposed on him by FAM due to his sharp criticisms towards the federation. Sathianathan did not leave Kelantan following his ban though, as he served as the club’s coaching CEO until 2011.
Sathianathan was appointed as head coach of military side ATM in November of 2011, leading the Gladiators to the 2012 Liga Premier Malaysia title as well as establishing them as a top-flight side. Sathianathan’s ATM side also reached the 2013 Malaysia Cup semifinal, losing 4-3 on aggregate to his former side Kelantan.
FELDA United was next for Sathianathan and alongside Irfan Bakti, the two men were credited as being the driving forces behind the Fighters’ golden era between 2013 and 2018.
Sathianathan led a star-studded FELDA side containing the likes of Shukor Adan, Zah Rahan, Thiago Augusto, Norsahrul Idlan Talaha, Wan Zack Haikal, and Hadin Azman to third in the 2017 Liga Super season, effectively salvaging a season that saw Sathianathan pick up the FELDA United reins when the team was 11th in the league table. However, FELDA United’s failure to renew their top-flight license saw them being forcefully relegated into the Liga Premier.
Despite this forced relegation, Sathianathan and most of FELDA United’s stars pledged to remain at the club in an effort to reclaim their spot in the top-flight, which they did in some style by winning the 2018 Liga Premier campaign by a sizeable margin. However, a restructuring of FELDA United’s management and severe financial issues faced by the club saw most of the Fighters’ stars being shipped out, with Sathianathan among those who left the FELDA United ship.
Selangor was Sathianathan’s next destination, where he remained until September of 2020, when he was sacked after Selangor had succumbed to a heavy 6-1 defeat away at Johor Darul Ta’zim. Sathianathan then moved to his final club, Sarawak United, in 2021, initially working as a technical director before guiding the Golden Hornbills to the Liga Super as head coach, finishing second in the 2021 Liga Premier. Sathianathan stuck around the Sarawak United squad during the first few weeks of the 2022 Liga Super season, only for his cancer to force him to step down in June.
In terms of personal accolades, Sathianathan has earned the Best Coach award at the National Football Award three times, in 2010, 2012, and 2017.
A well-respected and a role model for any footballer or coach in Malaysia, Sathianathan’s presence will surely be missed by anyone connected to football within the country. Rest In Peace.