Pintoo arranges prayer for Beckenbauer

Zakaria Pintoo, captain of the Swadhin Bangla Football Team, yesterday arranged prayers for German football legend Franz Beckenbauer and former German age-group coach Holger Obermann.

Beckenbauer has been suffering from heart disease for quite some time and underwent an open heart surgery a year ago while Obermann has gone through an eye operation recently.

“Beckenbauer is my friend with whom I made contact through Obermann in 2007 when the latter came to Bangladesh to train the under-14 football team. Since then I have been corresponding with both of them. So I arranged for the prayers through Father khokon [of the Kakrail church] for immediate recovery of my friends,” said Pintoo.

Pintoo said he received several memorabilia from the German legend as gift for their friendship. 

Pintoo also informed that he never met Beckenbauer in person even though he is planning to visit him in Germany next month.