V._Saravanan
V. Saravanan
Malaysian footballer
V. Saravanan (born 11 January 1978) is a former Malaysian football player. He currently works as an assistant coach for Perak FC since 5 January 2023.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Saravanan a/l Vellu | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-01-11) 11 January 1978 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker / Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Perak FA | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | Perak FA | ||
| 2001 | Kuala Lumpur FA | ||
| 2002–2004 | Perak FA | ||
| 2005–2008 | UPB-MyTeam FC | ||
| 2009 | ATM FA | ||
| 2011 | PKNS FC | ||
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Malaysia U-21 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Malaysia U-23 | ||
| 1999–2004 | Malaysia | 19 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2022 | HJK Helsinki (Youth Coach) | ||
| 2023–present | Perak FC (assistant head coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Saravanan spent the majority of his football career at Perak FA, winning two Malaysia Cup in 1998 and 2000.[1] He also played for Kuala Lumpur FA, UPB-MyTeam FC, ATM FA and PKNS FC.
Saravanan also represented Malaysia 19 times from 1999 to 2004.[2] His only international goals was against Thailand in a 2004 friendly match. Early on in his career, he was in the Malaysia national under-21 football team that competes in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, held in Malaysia.[3]
He retired from professional football at the end of 2011 to move with his girlfriend to Finland.[4]
In 2021, he obtained his UEFA A license and was a physical education instructor in Pajulahti, Finland.
He is fluent in Finnish, English, Malay and Tamil.
Prior to moving to Malaysia, he was a football coach for Helsinki Football Club (HJK) in Helsinki, Finland, in 2019 and served IF GNISTAN between 2012 and 2018.
He married his long-time girlfriend, Satu Johanna Ekholm, who is a physiotherapist from Finland working with the National Sports Council of Malaysia. They have a son.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 August 2004 | Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand |  Thailand | 1–2 | Won | Friendly |
- "11 Idaman Semuanya BOLA Pasukan Perak Di Bawah Weigang" (in Malay). Semuanya Bola. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- Vijhay Vick (21 December 2011). "Finland beckons for Saravanan". Malay Mail viaYahoo! Malaysia News. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- V. Saravanan at National-Football-Teams.com
- Profile at Laman Web Peminat Bolasepak Perak Darul Ridzuan
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