Selveraj Chetty, a man universally known and loved as Ronnie, passed away on 26 December 2020. He’s a man who touched hearts wherever he went and left a lasting impression on those he came into contact with. Ronnie might be gone, but his spirit lives on and the flame that he carried can never be doused.
Among his interests was his love of football and his love of coaching. He was a member of SASCA. He gave tirelessly to improving the lives of the young and energetic and leaves a gap that is impossible to fill. During his career he worked as an instructor for coaches at FIFA, while clubs and academies engaged his services, knowing they were getting the expertise of a man committed to his job and upskilling those he came into contact with.
He gathered many sport coaching qualifications over the course of his career, including at the highest level in South Africa. He also attained qualifications from as wide afield as the Netherlands, Asia’s Football Confederation and the Brazil Football Confederation. He would say that the most important gift you can give is to empower people, He is known for his inspirational words, and one that comes to mind ‘Believe in your own language, your own thoughts and your own mind, and make your life beautiful. Be the courageous hero and stay committed to your greatest ideas and ideals, however they are received by those around you. Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ronnie’s vision was to see football academies spring up in all areas around Pietermaritzburg, KZN an area that was dear to his heart.
He was also involved in leading football teams on overseas duties. Most memorable to our Pietermaritzburg football family was in 2013 when he was head coach of the Maritzburg Sporting Club that participated in a tournament to the eighth international Masters Goodwill Soccer competition in Malaysia.
We mourn his passing but celebrate his life and the indelible impact he had on the lives he touched in sport, engineering and several other facets.
RIP Coach Ronnie (Rees/Selveraj) Chetty. From the entire SASCA sports coaching fraternity.
