Condolences to Dell and family

Sardar (squatting, extreme left) in the Asian All-Stars team. Courtesy of Utusan Malaysia's magazine, Dunia Sukan, February 1982. He was speaking to Rahmat Ahmad

Dell, a neighbour and former Selangor team manager Datuk Mazlan Harun

Sardar's brothers, Murzaffar (in yellow) and Dell

Tok Imam Rusli Kamija, the same man who delivered the final rites for Mak, reading the talqin

Reduan and Raja Bola, Ghani Minhat

Seated beside FAM general secretary Azzuddin Ahmad, who took time away from the AFF Council meeting in Petaling Jaya is Abdah Alif, nippy midfielder of the 1980 squad

From left Chow Kwai Lam, Rahim Abdullah, Saifuddin Abu Bakar, Zulkifli and Mohd Shah Norbit and Zainal Abidin Hassan

Hulu Klang assemblyman Saari Sungib (second from left), contributed RM2,500 on behalf of the Selangor government

The moment I snap this picture, Reduan turned away from FAM assistant general secretary Saifuddin, who was given a hard time by all the former internationals following FAM's decision to ban Reduan for 12 months

Former international footballer Sardar Khan Hyder Khan passed away this morning at 8.30am. The eldest brother of former international right-back and FA of Malaysia general secretary Datuk Dell Akbar Khan, Sardar was a member of the all-conquering Selangor side in the 1960s. Surely one of the feathers in his cap was his appearance for the Asian All-Stars in 1967.

Alongside Selangor team mates, keeper Chinna Karuppan, Chow Kwai Lam and M. Chandran, as well as Perak's Foo Fook Chuan - to complement the likes of Vietnamese playmaker Do Thoi Vinh, Indonesian duo Yaacob Sihasaley and Soejipto as well as Iran's Akbar Idifhari, the hard-tackling Sardar did not look out of place but the opposition, the visiting Arsenal side, were in an uncompromising mood, winning the historic match 6-2.

Sardar and Dell were one of quite a number of sibling combinations in Malaysian football. Others include Mok Wai Kin/Mok Wai Hong (1950s), Robert Choe, Richard Choe (1962-1965), Cheng Hock/Loon Teik (1960s), Ali /Isa Bakar (1970s), Namat and Shaharuddin Abdullah, Mohd Shah and Zulkifli Norbit, Harun/Yahya Jusoh (1970s), Abdah/Yunus Alif, Hanapiah Ali/Khalid Ali/Zainal Abidin Hasan (1975, 80-1986), Zaidi and Mubin Mokhtar, Faizal/Khairil Zainal, Mazlan and Sapian Wahid. The most notable pair of siblings in the present era is Aidil Zafuan/Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak.

Our deepest condolences to Dell and family. Sardar is expected to be laid to rest after Zuhur prayers. His residence address is 52, Jalan AU2A/14, Taman Keramat. Al-Fatiha.

UPDATED, March 3, 2009, 7.00am

Malay Mail pays tribute to Sardar here and Utusan Malaysia here.

Sardar's first glimpse of potential was discovered at the Batu Road school where he represented the Under-12. He went through the whole process, competed in the Burnley Cup and later played for Umno - then dubbed the `DreamTeam' in Selangor football - in the early Sixties when they swept all before them. The Umno matches at Police Depot and TPCA Stadium were a pleasure to watch. It was sheer magic, according to former Malay Mail writer, Tony Danker.

Dell said Sardar belonged to the generation that had Choo Seng Quee as their master who taught them the right basics. "The players would not leave the pitch unless they have hit the designated corner as instructed. That was how they mastered the basics."

Recalling the days when Sardar and him were brothers only outside the pitch, Dell said: "No quarters asked, and none given, that in a nutshell described his attitude on the pitch. He gave you hell if you happened to be on the opposing side. In one match between Selangor and Police, I gave Chandran a gash near the ankle, in he came as a substitute for Chandran and he made sure every time I got the ball he was there to hound me. He was gunning for my neck. If you were in his team, he would act as the big brother, guiding you from the back. If otherwise, he was a no-nonsense centre-back. You can ask Rahim Abdullah the 12-inch long stud marks Sardar gave him all those years ago. We were using either boots from Thailand or custom-made by a shop called Broadway in Singapore. The studs were sharpened by walking on the cement at the dressing room."

Dell likened the Chandran-Sardar partnership in central defence to the Soh Chin Aun-Santokh Singh combination in the late 1970s.

"Sardar's tough-tackling and man-marking approach complemented Chandran's speed and anticipation."

"Kopi O keras" was Sardar's way of telling his team mates to impose their authority in the game early.

"We had to show them who's the boss to gain the psychological advantage."

With the blood of the legendary fighting nomadic Khans from the Khyber Pass coursing through their veins, Sardar and Dell, were not one to turn their backs on a challenge. Their father, Hyder Amir Khan, migrated to Kuala Lumpur at the age of 16 and settled down with Zaiton who today is still sharp at 87.

"He was a Pathan from Khyber Pass. He was a cattle trader who knew every nook and corner in the country due to the nature of his business," said Dell of his father who died at the age of 104.

Naturally, Sardar had his run-ins with officials as well, as there was one occasion where he was blacklisted in the 1971 President Park's Cup in Seoul for insubordination. His days in the national team were numbered. Sardar was laid to rest at the AU2 Muslim cemetery, where Mokhtar Dahari and my Mak were buried as well.