Friday, July 10, 2009
Tomorrow commomerates the 18th year of Mokhtar Dahari's death. RTM's TV1 ran a nostalgic tribute last night on Sekilas Liga, featuring rare footages of Mokhtar's trademark marauding runs culminating with goals against Arsenal (1975) and Singapore (1987). Read my tribute last year here. UPDATED Read Tony Mariadass' 15 minutes with Supermokh.
His emergence coincided with arguably the nation's most glorious decade but Mokhtar was not involved on the two occasions the team qualified for the Olympics. He was too young when Syed Ahmad Abu Bakar propelled the team to Munich in the pre-Olympics in 1971. In 1980, plagued by a knee injury and a bruised ego for unjustly being accused of matchfixing, Mokhtar was in self-imposed retirement when Hassan Sani and James Wong combined to beat South Korea and Japan in the qualifiers.
His emergence coincided with arguably the nation's most glorious decade but Mokhtar was not involved on the two occasions the team qualified for the Olympics. He was too young when Syed Ahmad Abu Bakar propelled the team to Munich in the pre-Olympics in 1971. In 1980, plagued by a knee injury and a bruised ego for unjustly being accused of matchfixing, Mokhtar was in self-imposed retirement when Hassan Sani and James Wong combined to beat South Korea and Japan in the qualifiers.
Zian Johari and S.C. Sekaran reporting for New Straits Times, 1976. Before a crowd of 55,000, Mokhtar scored twice against a Japanese side that boasted Kamamoto and Okudera on Aug 22. Mokhtar was probably at the heights of his powers then for a year later his knee went under the surgeon's knives
Back row: Azraai Khor @ Khor Sek Leng, P. Umaparam, Isa Bakar.Middle: Irfan Bakti Abu Salim, Mokhtar, R. Arumugam, team official. Front: Zainuddin Kassim, Rashid Hassan, Yahya Jusoh
The team that beat Japan and Kamamoto and Co 2-0 in 1976 Merdeka Tournament. Mokhtar standing fourth from right
Former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra with the squad circa 1976
Dunia Sukan, published by Utusan Malaysia, circa 1979Though Mokhtar was considered one of the best footballers in Asia, he could have created a bigger legacy had he pursued a career overseas. I wonder how things would have turned out had he had the courage to blaze the pro trail the way his contemporaries - South Korea's Cha Bum Keun and Yasuhiko Okudera of Japan - did in the Bundesliga. Mokhtar received offers from Middle Eastern countries and greatly impressed Bobby Robson, the Ipswich manager who brought England B to Kuala Lumpur in 1978.
Yasuhiko Okudera
Yasuhiko Okudera
Cha Bum Keun 
Volkswagen's sole importer, Datuk Zulkifli Ishak, a Johannian (naturally wearing green), and Bursa Malaysia CEO, Datuk Yusli Mohamed (right), like Mokhtar a Victorian, naming the trophy the Mokhtar Dahari Cup
SJI v VI
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