Former India international Syed Shahid Hakim has passed away at the age of 82. The former FIFA referee had recently suffered a stroke and was recuperating from the same at a hospital in Gulbarga, Karnataka.
He was a member of the Indian squad that participated in the 1960 Rome Olympics, where they finished sixth. However, he did not get to play a single minute in the Olympics, where the coach was his own father Syed Abdul Rahim.
He won the Santosh Trophy with Services in 1960 and at the club level, he plied his trade with City College Old Boys in Hyderabad and the Indian Air Force.
After retiring from football, he took up refereeing as a profession and had been a FIFA International Referee, officiating in 33 international games including some matches in the prestigious AFC Asian Cup 1988 at Doha, Qatar.
He had served as the Chief Project Director at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for over a decade his last assignment was as Project Director in charge of scouting before the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup.
Hakim was a former assistant coach of the Indian National team during the 1982 Asian Games and also independently took charge of the team during a tournament in Merdeka. He had guided Mahindra and Mahindra to the Durand Cup title in 1998 beating Kolkata giants East Bengal. His managerial career included stints at Salgaocar SC, Hindustan FC, and Bengal Mumbai Club. He also coached a boys team to win an inter-district tournament in Gulbarga recently.
He was conferred the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He was the second footballer to receive the award after Shabbir Ali in 2011.
AIFF President Praful Patel condoled his death and said, “It is devastating to hear that Hakim-saab is no more. He was a member of Indian Football’s golden generation who played a stellar role in popularising the sport in the country. His contribution to Indian Football can never be forgotten. I share the grief.”
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