Dollah Kassim..the unforgettable Gelek King !

Straits Times online Breaking news
Oct 4, 2009
Dollah Kassim collapses
By Terrence Voon
PHOTO: BH

FORMER Singapore football icon Dollah Kassim collapsed at half-time during the Veterans' match at the Sultan of Selangor Cup on Sunday.
The 60-year-old, known as the Gelek King for his Malaysia Cup exploits in the 1970s, reportedly suffered a heart attack and was taken to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
He was reported to be in stable condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
This is the second time a former Singapore international has suffered a heart attack during the Cup - a friendly between ex-internationals from Malaysia and Singapore - in the last three years.
S. Rajagopal, another household name from the 1970s, also had a heart attack while on the pitch in 2006. He was the coach of the veterans' team on Sunday night.

In 1977, there was a huge crowd at Paya Lebar Airport to welcome back our Malaysia Cup winning heroes. And one of those eagerly mobbed and hoisted by the most appreciative crowd was none other than the "Gelek King"....DOLLAH KASSIM. He was always one of the Singapore's crowd favourite...not just because of his superb dribbling skills which left many opponents for dead when he oozed past them easily but I think it was also his most likeable personality. He was easy-going and unassuming, a gentleman to the core on and off the field.

Unk Dicko did not know him personally but I knew his brother and niece in the 80's.

The latest update is that he is stable but still in a coma.

I join the thousands out there in praying for his recovery.

I was there at the airport when the team returned to a glorious welcome from grateful fans.