Maniam, 70, has quit as director of coaching of Malaysian squash to become adviser at Real Madrid Foundation Football Program Malaysia (RMF).
His decision to resign comes as a surprise in the wake of squash finally making it into the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Would he be a vital cog missing in Malaysia’s quest for Olympic glory in squash?
Asked how he felt about leaving squash, especially since he was among the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) leaders who had lobbied strongly for it to be an Olympic sport, he said: “It’s in good hands.”
He said: “SRAM has asked me to take on smaller assignments as an advisor up to the Olympics.
“They have also asked me to act as a doubles coach because there are doubles in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. At the Olympics, there are only singles events.”
Maniam said the national sports council (MSN) has accepted his resignation and has not made a decision on his role, if any, in the lead-up to the various Games.
“It is my decision to leave in December and I have not thought about what MSN would offer. That will only be decided in November and until such time, it is up in the air,” he said.
Though Maniam would leave squash largely as a satisfied man, a slight tinge of sadness was profound in his voice while talking about it.
He said being a part of SRAM’s storied successes both as a player and head coach has been a privilege and rewarding experience.
“The achievements over the years are a testament to the commitment of all involved, and I believe an indication of continued success to come,” he added.
Maniam’s new pursuit
Squash might have lost a monumental presence and character but Maniam’s unquenchable passion for sport continues to inspire.
Subramaniam Singaraveloo, ‘Major Maniam’ to all, is excited to get on with his new sporting adventure in RMF, determined to structure a system to give local football a boost at grassroots level.
Many feel the RMF would benefit from his inborn confidence to face challenges that army and squash life had taught him.
Squash great Nicol David said it was amazing that Maniam would not be slowing down after retiring as coaching supremo and “an incredible 35+ years of dedication to the sport”.
In a Facebook post, she said: “It’s so inspiring to see him continue his passion for sports by bringing his immense experience to the Real Madrid programme.
“Wishing you the best in this exciting new journey, Major. I’m sure you’ll be as impactful in football as you were in squash. Here’s to continued success, both on and off the field.”
For Maniam, sport is a metaphor for life and his foray into football is to teach children the Real Madrid values of leadership, self-control, humility, fellowship, effort, teamwork, respect, tolerance and solidarity.
RMF, the social arm of Real Madrid FC founded in 1997, aims at getting children, including the disadvantaged, to enjoy football and absorb the club’s social, cultural and athletic values.
He is no stranger to junior development having successfully implemented the squash coaching curriculum in Malaysia and India, and the local Sportexcel junior squash circuit.
Maniam said the RMF scheme, which was launched on Sunday, will eliminate the need to wait for periodic football clinics to come to Kuala Lumpur.
It is open to boys and girls under 18, with a monthly fee of RM360, and the sessions, led by two Spanish coaches, will be conducted at the International School of Kuala Lumpur.
A salute to Major Maniam
As coach, Maniam helped shape squash into what it is today in Malaysia and India and groomed several coaches in the region like Indian Cyrus Poncha, the recipient of the highest coaching award in his country.
He also managed committees at Asian and world levels and conducted numerous courses, seminars and clinics in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
He became a squash player in 1976 and began with SRAM 10 years later, taking Malaysian squash to global heights in commanding fashion.
In 2002, he went to India where he spent 14 years to transform the sport and develop champions before returning to Malaysia to resume the post of director of coaching.
The Indian press adored him and often wrote stories about the relationship he had with the players, coaches and also their parents, saying he was strict without being rigid, kind without being soft.
Little wonder that India’s Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal won the women’s doubles gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the men, led by Saurav Ghosal, emerged champions in the Asian Games team event in the same year.
Malaysia experienced a squash boom in the 1990s due to the efforts of Maniam, retired colonel Wong Ah Jit and the late Alex Lee, the youngest son of HS Lee, the nation’s first finance minister.
They planned Nicol’s road to success and boldly predicted she would rule the squash world – although how quickly and dominantly she did so surprised even them, said sportswriter Graig Nunis.
Nunis said SRAM expected Nicol to be No 1 by 2008 as all the top ranked players of that era such as Aussie Sarah Fitz-Gerald and England’s Cassie Jackman would have retired.
Nicol surpassed expectations by two years and besides her, Ong Beng Hee and Mohd Azlan Iskandar were among players who benefited from the foresight and planning of Lee, Wong and Maniam, who was himself a national squash champion.
Nunis noted that these three players helped Malaysia win nine gold, five silver and seven bronze medals at the Asian Games; two gold, a silver and a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games; and 15 individual gold medals at the Asian Championships since 1998.
Beng Hee, like Nicol, was also a world junior champion. The groundwork and grassroots development done by the three wise men are still paying dividends, the stand-outs now being S Sivasangari and Ng Eain How and a host of young talents.
Salute Major Maniam, coach, role model, mentor, big brother, dad, Malaysia’s sportsman of the year for squash (1980, 1983, 1984, 1985), East Asia player of the year (1980), Malaysian coach of the year (all sports 1998) and Asian Squash Federation Hall of Fame (2009).