Captain of the Shadhin Bangla football team Zakaria Pintoo has passed away at the age of 81 at a city hospital today after prolonged battle with multiple illnesses.

Pintoo, who was also the first captain of the Bangladesh national football team, was suffering from heart, kidney and liver complications and was admitted at the Ibn Sina hospital in the capital yesterday after his condition worsened.

He breathed his last at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital today at around 11:45 AM. He is survived by his son and three daughters.

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The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) mourned the passing of Pintoo in a press release, saying, "His contributions to our nation's independence and football legacy will never be forgotten. May Allah grant him eternal peace."

Pintoo was born Naogaon in 1943 and represented both the Pakistan national football team and the East Pakistan football team, captaining the latter in numerous occasions.

In recognition for his contribution to the country's football, he was accorded with the the Independence Award in 1995, and the National Sports Awards in 1978.

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