Updesh Singh is a rare breed of the country’s hockey players who played for the national team before turning out for the junior team in the inaugural FIH Junior World Cup tournament in Paris in 1979.
Updesh, now 65 years old and residing in France, played in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina as the youngest player (20 years old) on the team before playing in the Junior World Cup in Paris the following year.
The lanky 6’2 right winger or inside right forward from St John’s Institution also had the honor of being selected for the 1976 Montreal Olympics team but had to decline because he was sitting for his Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) examination.
He had a second opportunity to play in the Olympics when he was in the squad for the Moscow Olympics in 1980, but unfortunately, he missed it as Malaysia boycotted the Games.
Thus, despite playing in the World Cup and Junior World Cup, he sadly missed playing at the Olympics.
Between these events, he played in the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games, the World Esanda hockey tournament in Australia, andthe Intercontinental in KL to qualify for the Bombay World Cup in 1981.
Although Updesh was called from France to play in the World Cup qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, he was not selected for the tournament proper in New Delhi.
Despite all the disappointments, his talent was recognised by the Racing Club de France, with which he started his overseas career in January 1980 after having played in the Junior World Cup.
Updesh was the first foreign player in the French Ligue 1.
He was also in charge of the Racing Hockey school with 150 young children aged 4 to 16 years and coached the Ladies Racing Elite team as well.
Updesh was the top scorer for three seasons in a row, won the French Elite League five times, and played in three European Cups.
Indeed, Updesh carved a name for himself in France and made Malaysia proud.
He was contacted by a top team in Spain but decided to stay in Paris.
Updesh is currently a senior executive at the Club and is in charge of its 14 sports sections.
“I have been with them for 36 years now,” Updesh said in a telephone interview from Paris.
“Although I uprooted myself from Malaysia to be here, I still have fond memories of playing for Malaysia at both the junior and senior levels.
“I cannot forget how close the 1979 Junior World Cup squad was. We trained, stayed, ate, and played together for three years. It was a very special team because we were close-knit. We played in the Razak Cup tournament as a team and won. We were a family,” said Updesh, choking as he spoke.
“I believe that the 1979 team was the best team ever assembled, and together we could have gone much further. Although three-quarters made it to the senior side.”
“The bonding was great, and we played our hearts out for the nation. Money was not a factor. We were paid RM5 daily as a meal allowance, but we did not complain because we were there for the love of the game.
“We trained hard — three times a day — cross-country in the morning after a cup of coffee, trained for two hours after breakfast, and had another two-hour session in the evening. We also had many team-building sessions that brought the team closer to each other.
“I really do not know if the same kind of comradeship and passion exists these days.”
Of course, I realise that times have changed, and it is a professional era now, but some things cannot change — such as passion and pride.”
Updesh also spoke of the times as a young teenager when he played alongside the likes of Ow Soon Kooi, Awtar Singh Grewal, Gary Fidelis , Poon Fook Loke or K . T.Rajan with the senior team
“It was an experience I cherished, and I learned a great deal from playing with them,” he said.
In the national and junior teams, Updesh was the first runner for short corners and was the stopper.
Updesh also paid tribute to his school teacher and hockey coach, the late Vincent Fernandez, who laid the foundation for him in the game.
“I am a true Johannian, having studied in the school from primary to secondary. Master Vincent coached me when I went to secondary school, and he was a great and dedicated coach.”
Updesh comes from the famous village of Hot Springs in Setapak, which is known for an achievement of sorts – producing national football players, coaches, referees, hockey players, government servants, and professionals.
Hot Springs’ famous football sons include national players Santokh Singh, K. Ragagobal and R. Subramaniam, national youth players N. Nallathamby (who was also a former national referee) and S. Supramaniam, while in hockey, the village has produced internationals Avtar Singh Gill, Updesh himself, and Balbir Singh Gill, a former hockey coach with the national body.
Several others, like the late K. Gengarajoo (Rajagobal’s older brother) played for Malacca in the 1970s, while many others from the 1980s, like the late Ramachandran (Subramaniam’s brother), A. Chandrasegar, N. Suresh (Nallathamby’s son), Ishak Kunju, who played for the Kuala Lumpur youth and senior team and is now an FA of Malaysia instructor, all come from Hot Springs.
Updesh fifth in a family of nine, had two of his brothers, Malkeet and Gurcharan Singh, play at the state level for Selangor.
While in Malaysia, Updesh also played for PKNS and the Armed Forces.
“When I came back for the holidays, I would play for the local club Chui Loke, and I used to cycle from Setapak to the Royal Selangor Club (now Dataran) for matches,” said Updesh.
Updesh has certainly proved that Malaysian sportsmen can make a mark overseas and are recognised for their talent and ability, which others may want to emulate.
Ends.
