FORMER Singapore goalkeeper Shahri Rahim is just one of a kind, who made headlines over the weekend as he pulled off five outstanding saves even with a broken finger.

This father of five is 53 years and in reality he should be in his sarong and probably caring for his grandchildren.

But he donned the No 1 jersey and played in the Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) International 6s at the Padang and almost single-handedly won the Legends title for Singapore Ex-Internationals – playing the final with a broken finger!

He fractured his finger before the final but knowing the intensity of the big match, he refused medical treatment, just tied his damaged middle finger and, rather miraculously, forced five outstanding saves as they finished champions.

Shahri, who Malaysian fans know as he played for Singapore – in the 1988 Malaysia Cup squad that won the M-League and for the historic 1994 Double-winning team (Malaysia Cup and M-League), he was a squad-member – knows goalkeeping is an occupational hazard and he must be prepared to be tangled in tricky situations during play, often involving physical contact with opponents, goalposts and the ground.

“Yes, the risk of injury is therefore never very far away for the man in the No 1 jersey,” he says. “That’s why at 53 years, I know I have to be in good shape and also able to react like lightning, without fear or favour.”

SPECIAL GOALKEEPER

Goalkeepers are special players in the 11-sided matches. They need to be agile and to move quickly in all directions. Like Shahri, who is obliged to leap into the air at corner kicks and jostle for the ball, positioning himself accurately so as to catch or parry the ball. His sense of timing must always be very precise. The goalkeeper must, in other words, be an all-round athlete with an instinctive flair for the game of football.

For the record, from the psychological point of view, being the goalkeeper is especially demanding, as it requires the ability to concentrate continuously on the play. A goalkeeper can be uninvolved in playing situations for a few minutes, and then suddenly be thrust into the centre of the action.

One single error can result in a goal and give rise to major criticism even if he has made 15 outstanding saves prior to the one visible mistake. In the next match he plays, the goalkeeper is again the main focus of attention. He must therefore be able to withstand criticism from the other players, coaches, spectators and the press.

When I asked Shahri about his splintered middle finger, he replies tongue-in-cheek: Thanks to my SEGURO gloves, a global football brand he promotes in the Asean region.

“The gloves made me feel painless even with the broken finger,” he says laughingly. “Seguro goalkeeper gloves are simply outstanding and made me rise to the occasion.”

Singapore Ex-Internationals manager Richard Wong says: “Shahri knows no pain. We wanted to substitute him for the final but he insisted on playing and we were surprised he pulled off five important saves against CLA Legends in the final, which we won 4-0.”

MALAYSIA CUP STARS

The championship-winning Ex-Internationals comprised former Singapore skipper Razali Saad (now a FAS Council Member), Ho Kwang Hock, Idham Riduan, R. Seenivasan, E. Manimohan, Malek Awab, Tay Peng Kee, Yahya Madon and Kamaruzaman Zainal – all Malaysia Cup stalwarts, in their 50s, who starred for the Lions in the 1970s and 80s.

But if you skim at Shahri’s playing background, you’ll realise he’s a thoroughbred goalkeeper, who played professional S-League football for Singapore Armed Forces FC, Tampines Rovers and Balestier Khalsa and later became goalkeeping coach at Geylang United.

Shahri, who also promotes ‘Seguro’ goalkeeping gloves in the region, has his mind set to specialise as a goalkeeping coach. He has attained a Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Level 1 goalkeeper-coach certificate and is also a AFC Licenced coach, He has trained goalkeepers in the national women’s team, national Under 21 squad and the National Football Academies (NFA) Under 15, 16, 17 and 18,

His celebrity status has been used well as the “Ambassador” for Toyota and Borneo Motors for three years when the S-League was introduced in 1996 and he was the lead-actor in a television commercial for the motor giants,

Football fever runs feverishly even after passing the half-century mark and Shahri is also President of National Football League (NFL) Second Division club South Avenue Football Club. Despite budget constraints he put emphasis towards youth development, and the club won the FAS Island Wide League (IWL) in the first year of inaugration in 2015.

FAMILY SUPPORT

Shahri says football has played a crucial “unifying factor” in the Rahim family. He is blessed to have a football-loving family with wife, Kamisa Rahmat, 51, and a family of five, Muhammad Farhan, 25, Farah Huda, 23, Muhammad Sufiyan, 19, Nur Adam Shah, 16 and Nur Alisha, 13.

“Football links the shared experiences of family members across generations and creating a lasting sense of tradition and belonging. The strongest of these relationships is that of father and son,” says Shahri, who still plays active football in the annual home-and-away Sultan of Selangor Cup.

For his bravery in playing the final with a broken finger and pulling off five impressive saves, Shahri Rahim, is one to applaud and to emulate.

Respect, Shahri, never broken-hearted despite a finger-injury. – BY SURESH NAIR

For full results of the SCC 6s (ranked as one of Asean’s most popular regional tournaments) over the weekend, please click:

https://www.macoocoo.com/index.php?r=group/default/tournament&section=schedule&tid=1119&cid=

 

  • Suresh Nair is a Singapore-based journalist, who covered Shahri Rahim’s goalkeeping heroics from the 1980s. He ranks him as a never-quitting No 1, probably one of the best goalkeepers in Asean
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