Asia’s first World Cup referee died early on Friday after a long battle with diabetes.
George Suppiah died at 12.45am local time at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in his native Singapore.
Suppiah made history at the 1974 Fifa World Cup in the former West Germany, when he took charge of a first-round match between Poland and Haiti to become the first Asian to referee at the finals. He was also the linesman for Sweden-Bulgaria and Holland-Brazil at the same tournament
"He was the perfect dad," Suppiah’s daughter Shamini told The Straits Times. "He was a soft-spoken family man who was always calm and dignified."
The 83-year-old former teacher is survived by his wife of 55 years, Vallambal, son Subra and daughter Shamini.