Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan’s former celebrated goalkeeper and former Olympian Mansoor Ahmed is fighting for life at a local hospital where he was admitted on Friday after his condition deteriorated, family sources close to him said on Wednesday. “Mansoor has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to heart ailment,” sources said. Mansoor’s mother, who has arrived from the USA recently, called neighbours for help after his son suffered a fits attack and rushed to a nearby hospital on Friday. His two other brothers have also arrived here from abroad besides his sister. The doctors are describing his condition as ‘serious’ and asked for prayers.

Mansoor, who played for the country from 1986 to 2000, was a member of the Pakistan team that won gold at the 1994 World Cup in Sydney. Cardiac pacemaker and seven stents were implanted in Mansoor’s heart sometime back to keep his heart functioning. Representatives of high-ranking civil and military officials, high-ups of Customs, where Mansoor is employed, players and organisers of the game are visiting the hospital to enquire about his health. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the PHF president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has assured to send Mansoor abroad for treatment if need arises.

Former Olympians Naveed Alam and Mohammad Usman have appealed to the government and other hockey lovers to help ailing Mansoor.

“Mansoor is in the ICU of a hospital in Karachi fighting for his life and the nation should pray for his health. I want to appeal to the government, the Pakistan Hockey Federation and all generous people to help Mansoor in his difficult time,” Naveed said in a video message. “It was disappointing when I received the news about Mansoor’s problem. The government spends billion of rupees on many projects. It should also spend on players like Mansoor who have enlightened the name of the country at the world level. Once we succeed to save our heroes, we can be able to call this nation a responsible one which never forgets its heroes,” Naveed said.

Meanwhile, Usman said Mansoor was an asset of the country and he would like to appeal to the government, the federation and every institution to come forward in helping him out of his misery. Usman said Mansoor deserved medical treatment wherever possible in the world, and added that Mansoor had rendered exemplary services for the nation in the field of hockey, so he was a great asset whom everyone should protect.

Published in Daily Times, March 1^st 2018.