Ramat Mawar is the Lions‘ front and back defense general, and Omar Ibrahim is the team manager who has served the Lions for the longest time. The two were once important members of the Singapore Malay team.
(Singapore News) Two of our country’s football legends, Rahmat Mawar and Omar Ibrahim, passed away on Tuesday (October 29) at the age of 81.
Ramat Mawar was a defender for the Chinese national team in the 1960s and 1970s. He served as the captain of the Singapore Malay team in the first game held at the Old National Stadium in 1973, leading the team to a 4-1 victory over Gilan. The Danish Malay team won the Sudan Gold Cup and won it again two years later. He is also an important member of our country’s journey to the Horse Cup.
His family told The Straits Times that Ramat was troubled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had difficulty breathing. He died at Woodlands Medical Park after 0:30 a.m. on Tuesday. He left behind three daughters and 11 grandchildren.
Omar Ibrahim is the longest-serving manager of the Singapore national football team, having played for the Lions several times from 1983 to 2001. Among them, my country won the Malaysian League and Horse Cup double crown in 1994, and won the first-ever ASEAN Football Championship in 1998. Our country also won silver in the men’s football team of the 1985 SEA Games and bronze in 1993. He is also an important member of the Singapore Malay team.
Omar suffered from stage IV pancreatic cancer before his death and had been receiving palliative care since August. After his death, he left behind his wife, two daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter.
Fandi Ahmad, a famous Chinese star, said: “I have known Omar since I was nine years old. He was a good friend of my father when he was managing the Singapore Malay team. I often went to his home. He was also my father when I was 15. The team manager when he was called up at the age of 18. He is a very disciplined person who is very dedicated to his job and sets high standards for everyone in the team.”
Omar also served as a health officer in the Ministry of Environment for 37 years, assisting the country in solving health problems in the 1960s, and was awarded the National Day Honors in 1994. He retired in 1999.
Ramat is known as the “Lion” for his strong playing style.
Lamat is nicknamed “The Lion” on the court because he has a strong playing style and dares to tackle and steal. Lions forward He Guangfu in the 1970s said: “He has a thick beard and a fierce appearance, so he is intimidating as a defender. When players see him in front when they are fighting for the ball, they usually get out of the way.”
“Like a lot of players of his era, you could tell he was a real leader for the team. When they were out there fighting hard and playing seriously, he was a real gentleman. He was a very nice guy, very Caring about people, I got to know him better later when we worked together at the Imperial Hotel (which has since been redeveloped).”
After hanging up his boots, Ramat worked as a senior chef at the Imperial Hotel. He was also the captain and coach of the hotel’s football team, which won the Singapore Corporate Football League several times. He later became a part-time gardener and landscape supervisor, retiring in 2009.
Ramat was buried on Tuesday evening, and Omar was laid to rest on Wednesday (30th) morning.
