Swadhin Bangla Football team organiser Patel no more

Freedom fighter, former footballer, and organizer Saidur Rahman Patel passed away this afternoon at a hospital in the USA at the age of 75, according to a press release from Bangladesh Football Federation.

He was one of the initiators in forming the Swadhin Bangla Football Team during the Liberation War in 1971, with the aim of generating public support for Bangladesh. He also directly participated in the Liberation War.

Patel, who had been battling cancer for the past year, is survived by a son, a daughter, and many well-wishers who mourn his death.

Patel, who was born in Keraniganj, Dhaka, on October 7, 1951, was also one of the founding members of the Swadhin Bangla Football Dal that played matches across India in 1971 to increase public support and raise funds for Bangladesh’s War of Independence.