THEY called him the ‘father of Kedah football’. To those who knew him well, this honour befitted the late Datuk Paduka Ahmad Basri Akil, who died recently.
A man with vision coupled with untiring efforts, Basri transformed minnows Kedah to a respected force in Malaysian football today.
All the glory Kedah have been enjoying since the late 80’s however did not come overnight. As Rome was not built overnight, Basri knew that for Kedah to rise from the ashes of defeat, he needed to come out with a long-term plan and work on it.
He was meticulous, making sure that players, coaches and officials followed the development programmes. More than that, Basri helped to nurture their team spirit, which later brought the Canaries a string of successes.
To go forward, Basri convinced the Kedah FA to hire Czech coach Milous Kvacek. The bold move paid off as Kvacek proved to be a dedicated coach who introduced new ideas and strategies.
Basri roped in promising youngsters such Lee Kin Hong, Tan Cheng Hoe, Radhi Mat Din, Ahmad Sobri, Azmi Mahmud, Langkawi striker Che Hishamuddin Hassan, the Ismail twins – Feriza and Farouk - to blend with senior players like Nor Azam Ishak and K. Ravichandran.
Like a fatherly figure to them, Basri not only looked into their welfare by offering them jobs at the local government departments like the Public Works Department (JKR), but also introduced impressive bonus schemes as rewards for good performances. He had the clout then, being the State Secretary.
For a team to remain successful, Basri knew fan support was of paramount importance.
He turned composer by penning the infamous Hijau Kuning song entitled ‘Biar Jasa Jadi Kenangan’. This he said was to enable the fans to sing along each time the signature tune was aired over the public address system when the Kedah players trooped out of the dressing room.
That firmly caught the attention of the football crazy Kedah fans, who thronged the Darulaman Stadium each time Kedah played hosts.
By the time Kedah refurbished its Darulaman Stadium, to accommodate a capacity 30,000 fans from a mere 14,000, the song was already a hit with the Hijau Kuning fans.
When Malaysian football turned semi-pro, Basri hired Czech hitman Jan Janostak, Slovakian midfielder Tibro Szaban, Singapore’s V. Suresh Kumar and towering Nigerian defender Olubunmi Adigun to beef up the squad.
Although Basri set a five-year target for Kedah to land their first title, the Hijau Kuning squad surprised by qualifying for their first ever Malaysia Cup final in 1987. It was just his second session as team manager.
To celebrate Kedah’s first ever Cup appearance, several partisan fans went bald. Many packed the stands when the Canaries prepared for the final against Kuala Lumpur.
Alas, the Canaries were overwhelmed by the occasion and fell to Kuala Lumpur in the final. They were made to play the bridesmaid role yet again in 1988 and 1989.
But the experience of playing in three consecutive Cup finals put them in good stead as they finally tasted success in 1990 - a season ahead of Basri’s target.
But it seemed success got to their heads and Kedah fell from grace, dropping to Division Two in 1992.
Basri was never a quitter, though. He played a major role in hiring Dutch coach Robert Alberts and Kedah bounced back in style, bagging a sensational double by grabbing the League crown and the Malaysia Cup title 1993.
Basri was also the FAM vice-president from 1996 to 1998 and also served as a Youth and Development Committee chairman. In his later years, he fell out of favour with the national body for his outspoken views in the press.
That resulted in him having to serve a four-year ban in 2001 and a three-year ban in 2006.
Despite the suspensions, Basri’s love for football did not fade. He continued to write for a Malay daily as well as support the Kedah team by watching them play at the stadium.
There was no doubt that his immense contribution made Kedah football what it is today. He is best remembered as the manager who last led Malaysia to the 1989 SEA Games football gold medal.
Of course, Malaysian football would have been on a different level had his criticism not fallen on deaf ears.
Malaysian football has lost a great man and a dedicated servant with his passing away.
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