Hundreds of Singaporeans
paid their last respects to football legend
Dollah Kassim
at his Rivervale Drive flat
on Thursday afternoon.
Family, friends and members of the local football fraternity
then followed the casket to the Sultan Mosque where prayers were
conducted, before he was buried at Lim Chu Kang cemetery.
Nicknamed the “Gelek King” for his superior dribbling skills,
the 61-year-old was key in bringing home the Malaysian Cup in
1977.
Local football fans Yahoo! Singapore spoke to hailed Dollah as
one of the best Singapore players.
Said Hatta Ali, 58, a coach who attended the wake, “You can see
Dollah has many friends judging from the number of people who are
here today. He will always be remembered, a true football
legend.”
S-League side Gombak United skipper, Jaslee Hatta, 29, added,
“It’s a sad day for local football. He is Singapore’s one and only
‘Gelek King’ and our prayers are with him and his family.”
FAS referee Weng Tuck, 38, agreed. “It’s very sad that we have
lost a great player who has done so much for local football.”
Dollah first suffered a heart attack in October last
year after playing in the Sultan of Selangor’s Cup
curtain-raiser between Singapore and Selangor veterans.
Doctors then said that he suffered an injury due to a lack of
oxygen to his brain immediately after the collapse.
He was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and had been in a
coma since then and was later cared for at home.
In a reply to Yahoo! SEA on the news of his passing, a spokesman
for the Football Association of
Singapore (FAS), Visakan Subramanian said that the soccer
hero “will be greatly missed”.
“We are saddened by the passing of Dollah Kassim. Dollah has
given a lifetime of passion and commitment to Singapore
football.
“Everyone at the Football Association of Singapore would like to
send their condolences to Dollah’s family at this sad and difficult
time. He will be greatly missed.”
Check out this tribute video of Dollah, which
was created by his son, Ezaad, for his 61st birthday
earlier in March this year.