Singapore, February 26 Farouk Marican Ali, a former Singapore hockey player and manager of Indian descent, passed away on Thursday.
He was 80 years old.
The country's sporting community mourned Ali, who "lived and breathed" hockey and deeply cared for his players.
Farouk is survived by his wife, Jacinta Arriola, and his daughter, Shaeen Marican.
However, his family has not disclosed the cause of death, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Farouk, a specialist in penalty corners, played as a defender in the late 1960s and 1970s and played for the national team from 1968 to 1971. He later managed Singapore's men's team from 1982 to the 2000s.
Former journalist Hakikat Rai, who covered local sports for Straits Times in the 1980s and 1990s, said that Farouk was always generous with those he knew, and that he "deeply cared" for his players.
"Farouk had a thorough understanding of the game, having played at both club and national levels. He was well-versed in the latest training methods and constantly kept in touch with experts like Horst Wein, a respected international expert in hockey and football," said Rai.
"In a way, Farouk was ahead of his peers during that era in terms of the administration of the sport – a time when local hockey was undergoing changes."
Krishnan Vijayan Naidu, who was a key member of the national team in the 1980s and 1990s, recounted how Farouk would pay to have jerseys printed for them before training trips, and how he would go out of his way to help those who were less fortunate.