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PETALING JAYA: Friend, colleague, soulmate and teacher, that was Tony Francis (pix) for many of the high-level reporters and editors in the local media industry.
Yesterday, the media fraternity mourned the loss of this accomplished writer and sports journalist, who passed away peacefully after a battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is a chronic lung disease.
Francis, 73, had a decorated career spanning nearly five decades. More importantly, he left an unbridled legacy of greatness that generated respect and admiration from everyone, including the King.
His wife Chan Cheng Tuan described Francis as a man who lived his passion to the fullest. “He was a great journalist who covered the Olympics and many other important events. As a person, he had a great sense of humor. Sport had been his passion and he enjoyed golf very much. He was also a generous and loving husband and a loving father to his children, ”she said. Sun Yesterday.
His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who has been involved in the local sports scene, recognized the legendary journalist’s immense contributions and thanked him for his gift of storytelling.
Veteran journalist Frankie D’Cruz, a friend of Francis for four decades, described his friend as the “sifu of journalism.” Tony was a man of ideas, whose ambitious and uncompromising journalism brand helped shape the careers of many journalists. His thought-provoking work, his writing and his leadership have had a great influence on me. “
Francis built his career with the New Straits Times group for 35 years, from 1967 to 2002.
He started at age 20 with the New Straits Times and rose from cadet reporter to assistant sports editor, sports editor, chief news editor, and associate editor, before retiring in 2002.
He also worked at the Malay Mail and ventured onto the golf scene as a Golf Digest editor with lifestyle publisher Blu Inc.
His brilliant career led him to cover two Olympic Games in Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992), as well as three World Cups (1974 and 2006 in Germany and 2010 in South Africa), in addition to other sporting events such as the Thomas Cup, SEA Games. and Asian Games.
He was brave in his reporting and was at the center of the 1993-94 season match-fixing complaint that led to the arrest of more than 200 footballers, which shook the local soccer scene.
ParGolf Managing Editor Jonathan Ponniah said Francis was not only a confidant, but a mentor who had the knack of making others feel comfortable.
“I had seen him a couple of times at press conferences and was in awe of him. But we came together through a game of golf in the 90s and became close on a professional and personal level. He had incredible skills with people and was a very good social golfer. We will miss him very much, ”Ponniah said.
TwentyTwo13 executive editor Graig Nunis was grateful to Francis for offering him a sports editor position in 2008. “As a former sports editor, he was meticulous and sports were always close to his heart.”
Francis’s contribution to the sport also led him to be inducted into the Malaysian Olympic Council Hall of Fame in 2015.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
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