Former Singapore international Amin Nasir breathed his last aged 48 after battling cancer for many years. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2012 but had signs of remission in 2014 after which he was appointed as the coach of S.League club Hougang United.
While intense chemotherapy was helping Amin, the disease returned in late 2014 with doctors finding cancerous growths in his kidney and stomach, according to Channel News Asia. The former Lions footballer is survived by his wife, daughter and a son, who played for Garena Young Lions last season and joined Balestier Khalsa for the upcoming league season.
Amin played for the national team in the 1990s and was part of the 1993 SEA Games' bronze medal-winning team and was a key member of Sembawang Rangers and Woodlands Wellington during his heyday.
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He was working as the head coach of Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) Junior Centres Of Excellence, which is focussed on youth development in the Lions City. His brother Nazri Nazir was the former skipper of the national team.
The FAS, in an official statement, mourned the loss of the footballer. Hougang United also came up with an Instagram post in memory of their former coach, who had led them to a seventh-place finish in 2014.
"The Council, management and staff of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Amin Nasir, our Head Coach of Junior Centres Of Excellence (JCOEs), Club Academies & Schools Football Academy (SFA) this morning," the statement of FAS' official website read.
"A firm believer in youth development, Amin was determined to build a brighter future for Singapore football and had spent the majority of his post-playing years coaching young footballing talents. Through his passion and dedication, Amin mentored and developed many young coaches and emerging talents in the various age-group teams he had led over the past decade.
"On behalf of the Singapore football fraternity, we would like to extend our condolences to Amin's family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time."
