Former National Player Hafiz Rahim, 36, Dies After Motorcycle Accident in Tampines

Today is a sad day for the local football scene.

Touted as “one of the nicest guys” in Singapore football, 36-year-old Hafiz Rahim met with a traffic accident at Tampines while he was riding his motorcycle and, unfortunately, passed away.

He leaves behind a wife and three kids.

National Team Career

When Hafiz was a teenager, he shows a lot of promise on the soccer pitch.

In 2001, he won the Under-18 Player of the Year award.

However, due to knee injuries, it was only in Aug 2011 that he joined the Singapore senior national team.

He appeared 9 times while playing with the national team and scored his only international goal in the match against Laos in 2014.

He wasn’t featured on the pitch but was part of the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup-winning squad.

Professional Career

In 2003, he joined Geylang (now Geylang International) football club and scored the winning goal in the RHB Singapore Cup final against Thailand’s Bangkok Glass Door in 2009.

In that match, he wasn’t the first team and was a substitute sent into the pitch.

In 2014, he won the S League title with the Warriors FC.

Other clubs that he played for include Gombak United, Home United and Tampines Rovers before ending his football career.

A Nice Guy

National goalkeeper Hassan Sunny said that he was also “sunny” and “bubbly”.

Both of them were childhood friends and he could remember how they had sleepovers at his house when they were both young.

“When we were young, we used to have sleepovers at my place and my mum would cook up a feast… So when I received the news, I broke down immediately.”

Former national striker Aleksandar Duric who was in Geylang when Hafiz entered the team said he used to call him “babyface”, even in his 30s.

“He really was one of the nicest guys you could want to be around… It’s sad we are losing so many good people at such young ages.”

Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.