Olympian footballer and veteran referee Syed Shahid Hakim passes away

The footballer suffered a cardiac arrest at around 8 AM in the morning while he was admitted to a hospital in Gulbarga, Karnataka, following a stroke a few days ago. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Hakim, who was the son of India's legendary football coach S.A. Rahim, was part of the Indian football team that played at the 1960 Rome Olympics. The Hyderabad footballer, who played for nearly 25 years, was also a qualified FIFA referee who officiated 33 international games, including Qatar's 1988 AFC Asian Cup.

He was also a national coach appointed by the Sports Authority of India.

Hakim was only the second footballer to win the prestigious Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017. He also served as the Chief Project Director at SAI.

He was diagnosed with COVID-19 last year. In an interaction with The Indian Express in 2020, Hakim said that despite dedicating his entire life to the sport, he had not received any help from the government.

Hakim was a member of the 1960 Santosh Trophy-winning side of Services. Associated with the India Air Force, Hakim was a squadron leader.

The veteran was an assistant coach of the Indian National team. He also was the coach of Mahindra and Mahindra, and in 1998-99 and he guided the team to win the Durand Cup.