BUTTERWORTH: The late football legend M. Kuppan will be remembered with a road here renamed after him to recognise his contribution to Penang and the country.

       Jalan M. Kuppan, which is about 150m in length and formerly known as Jalan Jiran 1, links Jalan Heap Seng Whatt and Jalan Bagan Baru 1.

       Datuk M. Kuppan, the oldest of seven siblings, was born on Oct 14, 1936, in Bukit Mertajam and resided in Butterworth.

       He started working as a clerk in the Penang Port Commission in 1958 at age 31 before marrying school teacher G. Amirthamani in 1962.

       Throughout his sporting career, Kuppan helped the Penang squad win the HMS Malaya trophy in 1958 and the Merdeka Soccer Festival Championship while in the national team.

       He represented the country for eight years from 1958 to 1965, and was part of the gold medal-winning team at the 1961 SEAP Games in Rangoon.

       He played for Penang for 10 seasons, serving as captain from 1962, and retired in 1967.

       His subsequent coaching career with the national team sparkled with joint Thai King's Cup wins in 1976 (joint champion with Thailand) and 1977 (jointly with South Korea), as well as successes at Merdeka Pestabola 1976, the 1977 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, and making it past the Group 1 Asia Zone World Qualifiers Cup stage in Singapore, also in 1977.

       In 2005, Kuppan was awarded the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) award which carries the title "Datuk", followed by the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) award from the Penang Governor in 2013.

       He is best known for his agility in attacking, earning him the nicknames "Black Panther of Penang" and "Jetboots".

       ALSO READ: Ex-national player and coach Kuppan passes on

       Kuppan passed away on Dec 30, 2021, at the age of 85, leaving behind his wife and three sons.

       Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees thanked the state government for approving the proposal to rename the road to Jalan M. Kuppan.

       "Kuppan used to play, train and coach at a field located next to the proposed Jalan M. Kuppan.

       "Today, the field remains a popular spot among football players in the area and the community would feel proud with the road named after Kuppan.

       "This is the first time the name of a football legend is given to a road in Penang," he said after announcing the matter at the state Legislative Assembly building here on Tuesday (May 31).

       Penang infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, who was also present, said the renaming process is expected to be completed in two months.

       "We expect the new name to be official by July," he said.