Former captain of the Sri Lanka soccer team in the sixties Al Haj Mohamed Anver (MA) Ameer passed away after a period of illness at the age of 85 years at his residence in Slave Island.
His Janaza took place at Jawatte Muslim Burial Ground on Thursday afternoon. Ameer played as a full back throughout his career that spanned almost 30 years. He was solid in defence that brought about much praise from several foreign pundits in the game. He played for the Zahira College first eleven soccer team in 1958 and was so impressive that he was selected to the national youth pool the following year.
After shinning as a full back with the national team Ameer was selected to captain the side in 1961. He has also represented teams in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India during the prime of his career from 1963 to ’65. (TBR)