Captain of the Shadhin Bangla football team Zakaria Pintoo has passed away at the age of 81 at a city hospital on Monday after prolonged battle with multiple diseases.
Pintoo, breathed his last at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital at about 11:45 AM. He is survived by his son and three daughters.
Pintoo, one of legends of the country’s football was also the first captain of the Bangladesh national football team. He has been suffering from heart, kidney and liver complications and was admitted at a local hospital in Dhnamondi on Sunday after his condition worsened.
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Bangladesh Olympic Association, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB),w Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC), Abahani Limited (ABL), Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA), Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) and many others sports organisations and clubs also mourned the passing of Pintoo.
BFF, in a press release said, “His contributions to our nation’s independence and football legacy will never be forgotten. May Allah grant him eternal peace. Nation will remember the huge contribution of Pintoo in Bangladesh football.”
Pintoo, who was born in 1943, January 1 Naogaon, spent his boyhood in Barisal. He successfully passed the SSC and got admitted at Jahangannath College in 1958 when he was also the captain of the football team of the college, then he read in Barisal BM College after his HSC and under his leadership his college won the Sher-e-Bangla Cup football tournament. In 1968 Pintoo got admitted at the Dhaka University and was selected as the captain of the university team. Dhaka University won the then East Pakistan Combined University Football Championship and under his leadership the team in 1968.
Pintoo represented both the Pakistan national football team and the East Pakistan football team, captaining Bangladesh in numerous international tournaments.
Bangladesh made it’s international debut in 1973 in the Mardeka Football tournament in Malaysia and Zakari Pintoo was the captain of that team, as well as he was the first captain of the Bangladesh in the first international match.
But the former legendary defender was mostly known as the ‘captain of the Shadhin Bangla Football team’.
In 1971, football players of Bangladesh contributed a much in the liberation war when they played exhibitaion matches in India led by Zakaria Pintoo to create funds to help the freedom fighters.
However, Pintoo played for Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club from 1961 to 1975. He was the captain of the club’s golden time. Mohammedan kept its flag half-mast showing respect to him.
Despite huge discrimination before the independence of Bangladesh, Pintoo made his room in the Pakistan national team.
After retirement from his playing career, Pintoo also worked as the high ups of Mohamedan Sporting Club and was an official of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) when he was also an official of the National Sports Council (NSC).
In recognition for his contribution to the country's football, he was accorded with the Independence Award in 1995, and the National Sports Awards in 1978.
