Former national football striker Shaharuddin Abdullah dies at 75

IPOH: Former national football striker Shaharuddin Abdullah, who was one of the stars of the Malaysian team that played in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, died at the Taiping Hospital early today. He was 75.

His second child, Shahrina Shaharuddin, 42, said her father died at about 5.07 am surrounded by his seven children.

"Our father has been suffering from asthma for the past two years and, on Saturday (Dec 23), he complained of being unwell and we took him to the hospital.

"He was placed in an induced coma and his oxygen level was also unstable. After being admitted, he showed a positive development on Monday (Dec 25) but a few days later there was no response from him," she said when met by Bernama here today.

She said the last rites would be held at the Kampung Bukit Jana Nurul Hidayah surau before being laid to rest at the Kamunting Muslim Cemetery after the Zohor prayers.

Shaharuddin, who was nicknamed 'The Black Cat' and 'Sharpshooter', began representing the national team in 1967 and proved to be a prolific marksman.

-- BERNAMA