KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — The death of former Harimau Malaya squad coach B. Sathianathan is a great loss in the football arena of the country.

The loss was felt very much among the national football players, especially former players who were trained by the late coach.

According to former national striker Safee Sali, the deceased was a very generous person both in terms of finances and knowledge in addition to having a high commitment to discipline throughout his life as a coach.

"Although he might have been seen as a strict person on television, the late coach was kind-hearted and very generous. If the players did not get their salaries, he would take out his own pocket money to help players who were in financial trouble.

"It is a loss that is deeply felt by those of us involved in the football industry. He is generous in sharing any knowledge about football and is responsible,” he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

Johor Darul Ta’zim right-wing defender S. Kunalan said the knowledge and dedication of the late coach helped improve his performance as a national player.

"Coach (Sathianathan) is one of the best coaches, he had vast experience and knowledge to improve the players, I myself was one of the players he chose to bring into the national team,” he said.

Sathianathan, 65, reportedly breathed his last at 1.25pm today at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) due to cancer.

The former Negeri Sembilan player previously had to take a break from the football arena after undergoing medical treatment last year.

His best achievement was in 2007 when he steered the under-23 squad (U-23) to win the Pestabola Merdeka and was appointed as the head coach of Harimau Malaya until early 2009.

Sathianathan had been the coach of several local teams including Kelantan, Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), Felda United, Selangor and his last post was as coach of Sarawak United. — Bernama