South African government hails Indian origin footballer Rashid Khan

The South African government paid rich tributes to South African Indian football legend Rashid Khan, who passed away in a hospital after a short illness. Khan`s soccer exploits in the 1960`s and 1970`s drew massive attention and his talents were compared to that of Manchester United great George Best.

“I have learnt with deep sadness of the passing on of one of the shining sons of our nation, Rashid Khan,” said Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

“The history of South African soccer would be incomplete and could indeed not make sense without the contribution of people such as Rashid. In a way, Rashid`s life is also synonymous with our nation`s history. Rashid emerged at the height of oppressive political conditions to put his stamp on the history of our football through his incredible footballing prowess.“

“Today, as we enjoy football in a free and democratic country where players are well-paid and infrastructure is taken for granted, it is all too easy to forget where our football comes from.

“It is equally easy to forget that without the impact of South Africans such as Rashid at a time when playing football was part athletics and part sacrifice, our football could have turned out worse. Instead his generation made the masses of poor soccer lovers happy,” Motlanthe said.

“Football has been one of the uniting social forces in our history. We thank Rashid and his generation for giving us the delights on football as well as non-racial sport. One hopes that when the history of sport in our country is written, Rashid Khan`s name will assume the pride of place it so wonderfully deserves.”

Source: Zee News