S’poreans pay tribute to soccer legend Dollah Kassim
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S’poreans pay tribute to soccer legend Dollah Kassim
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.