KARACHI: It was poignant that it was at the ground where he put in some of his best performances, which took Ali Nawaz Baloch from a precocious talent to a goal-scoring legend, that the departing prayers for him were said.

Pakistan’s football fraternity was in mourning on Friday after former national team captain Ali Nawaz passed away on Friday. The former striker had been in hospital for the past several days after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

The KMC Stadium, where Ali Nawaz starred in the 1960s and 1970s while playing for the national team as well as Pakistan International Airlines, saw a large gathering of former players, coaches, referees and officials as his funeral prayers were said.

Ali Nawaz, who was awarded the Pride of Performance Award from the Pakistan government in 1996, was also revered for his goal-scoring abilities in Bangladesh, where he played for Dacca Mohammedan, and the United Arab Emirates, where he featured for Emirates FC.

He began his coaching career in the UAE before returning to Pakistan where he was coach and manager of the PIA football team.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022