MALAYSIAN football mourns the loss of another former star player as Moey Kok Hong passed away today due to heart complications, following the death of Khalid Ali yesterday.
Kok Hong, who hailed from Butterworth, was 56 years old. It was learnt that he had previously undergone a heart bypass operation.
His wife, Ang Chooi Choon, when contacted said Kok Hong passed away at 6.32am today at the Hospital Seberang Jaya.
“He was not feeling well this morning and we quickly sent him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he passed away about two hours later,” she told Buletin Mutiara.
They have three daughters, Shih Teng (30); Shih Ying (27); and Shih Wen (24), and four grandchildren.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Penang Football Club (Penang FC) expressed their condolences to his family.
FAM noted that Kok Hong featured for the Malaysian XI against Arsenal at the National Stadium in a friendly in 1988 and also represented Malaysia in the 1998 Tiger Cup.
On its Facebook page, Penang FC expressed deep sorrow over the death of Kok Hong, describing him as the pillar of the Penang team in the 90s.
“The late Kok Hong will be remembered for scoring Penang’s equaliser against Selangor before Merzagua Abderrazak completed the comeback (against Selangor) on a glorious night to win the Premier League 1 title in 1998.
“May the late Kok Hong’s family persevered through this difficult time. A legend who will surely be missed,” it said.
Former Penang captain Yong Woon Seang lauded Kok Hong as a skilful player who was both good in attack and defence.
“One of his strong points as a player was his heading skills, and he made significant contributions to teamwork.
“He was not just a skilled player but also a caring one. If any of our players was injured intentionally, he would be the first to confront the culprit. He was a true fighter.”
Some of the Penang players he played alongside included G. Shanmugam, R. Suresh Kumar, Ooi Hoe Guan, Chee Wan Hoe, Nordin Kamis, Ng Kok Heng and Hasmawi Hassan.
In addition to Penang, Kok Hong also showcased his talents for states like Perak and Negeri Sembilan in the Malaysian Premier League.
At the club level, he represented several clubs including Chinese Recreation Club, Butterworth City, Bintang Biru and Northern Telecom.
Former national player C. Nadarajah, who previously played for Perak and Terengganu before joining Penang, acknowledged Kok Hong as a talented player although they never played together, being several years his senior.
“It’s a great loss for Malaysian football. I know he ventured into coaching during my time as an FAM coaching instructor. He obtained a ‘D’ licence and had helped the Penang FC team,” Nadarajah said.
Former state winger Johari Maina, who serves as a board member of the Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet Kebangsaan (National Athlete Welfare Foundation), shared that his foundation became aware of Kok Hong’s health issues and provided a token sum as assistance in June last year.
“I played for Penang from 1979 to 1982, while Kok Hong emerged on the scene in the 90s. He was initially a goalkeeper before being converted to a striker, probably by the late Moey Yoke Ham. Coach Moey must have recognised the potential in the tall Kok Hong,” Johari said.
Datuk Shukor Salleh, who once coached Kok Hong when he managed the state team, said Kok Hong was quite a versatile player.
“He was a skilful player, an asset for the team. Depending on the team strategy, Kok Hong could be effectively deployed as a striker or attacking midfielder,” Shukor said.
Kok Hong’s funeral is scheduled for Feb 9 (Friday) at 10am, with the cortege leaving Mak Mandin funeral parlour for cremation at the Berapit Crematorium in Bukit Mertajam.
Story by K.H. Ong and Edmund Lee
Pix by courtesy of interviewees