KUALA LUMPUR: Football fans and the teams that they support share a special bond, and it was evident during Kuala Lumpur City's 5-0 win over Sarawak United in a Super League match at the KLFA Stadium on Wednesday.
The City Boys paid tribute to arguably their biggest fan — Devinder Singh — by unfurling a banner wishing the former NST reporter a speedy recovery after their big win.
Devinder has been a regular at the KLFA Stadium stands, but his lanky figure and his self-produced match-day programme have been conspicuously missing in recent weeks, And this made the City Boys wonder about his well-being.
They later learnt that Devinder had suffered a stroke and he missed KL's historic run in their AFC Cup campaign. KL defeated Viettel and Mohun Bagan to march into the inter-zone play-off final against Uzbekistan's Sogdiana Jizzakh on Oct 5.
KL City chief operating officer Stanley Bernard and coach Bojan Hodak had visited Devinder at his home.
Stanley said football clubs and their fans share a special bond, and they felt that KL City should play a role in helping Devinder to get back on his feet.
He revealed that KL's good performance of late has helped to lift Devinder's spirits.
"Football fans all over the world have driven teams, and it's only fair for teams to return the favour when the fans suffer setbacks.
"When we heard that Devinder had suffered a stroke, we want to help improve his spirits," said Stanley.
"His sister contacted us and said KL's win over Mohun Bagan had resulted in a positive reaction from Devinder.
"We were saddened to see his condition, the whole team including the players, coaching and support staff have a connection to him, and we felt that we needed to do something for him.
"Credit should go to his sister as well for her effort to get him to recover, she has done a phenomenal job being a great support to Devinder's recovery, and she knew that KL City could make him happy and help in his recovery."
Hodak said Devinder, who is known as the walking KL City encyclopedia, played a crucial role in the team. The Croatian said he texted Devinder after the win over Sarawak United.
"Devinder's stats have helped us a lot, the stats and records that he provided, helped us to set mini targets and challenges for the team, and we broke several team records," said the Croatian coach.
"He suddenly went missing before the Viettel game, and once we got to know about his situation, it really hit us... we visited him and he showed a positive response. we want to continue to bring a smile to his face and help his recovery.
"He texted me after the Sarawak United game, so I'm happy to see him recovering and I hope he can make a full recovery soon and get back to the stadium, as we, too, miss him."