KUALA LUMPUR: The legendary Datuk Mohamad Bakar, a key member of Malaysia's 1972 Olympic team, died today. He was 75.
Mohamad, who was also a respected coach, passed away at a hospital in Kepala Batas. He was reported to have suffered from bone marrow failure.
In the 1972 Olympics in Munich, he was outstanding as a right winger, complementing the likes of Datuk Soh Chin Aun, Wong Kam Fook and Datuk Namat Abdullah.
Mohamad, who had 43 international caps, also helped the national team win a bronze medal at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.
Known as "Ma Baker" (inspired by the Boney M song) to his teammates, the Singapore-born Mohamad, who was the son of a policeman, represented Penang from 1963 to 1975.
He was Penang's hero in the 1974 Malaysia Cup final, scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 triumph over Perak at the City Stadium in George Town.
As a coach, Mohamad worked with the late Karl Weigang to develop a national team who went on to qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who was a former FA of Malaysia president, expressed his sadness and sent his condolences to the family of Mohamad in the Istana Negara Facebook page.
The King said he held Mohamad in high esteem and described his passing as a big loss to Malaysian football.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and the FA of Malaysia also sent its condolences to Mohamad's family.