RM170 for glory: Hockey legend breaks silence on decades-old betrayal
In 1972, hockey forward M Mahendran stood tall as Malaysia’s sportsman of the year — feted, photographed, and promised RM5,000.
Yesterday, he broke his silence. What he actually received was just RM170.
The rest, he says, was taken by the then Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF).
According to him, RM2,000 went to a non-sporting “heroes fund”, while the balance was supposedly set aside for his 18 national teammates.
None ever saw a cent.
“For glory, all I got was RM170,” said Mahendran. “Isn’t that absurd? We were celebrated one day and forgotten the next.”
Mahendran remains the only hockey player ever to become sportsman of the year since inception of the sports awards in 1966.
The 77-year-old said he never questioned the matter in his playing days, when athletes were expected to follow orders…
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