Abdur Rahim (footballer) explained

Abdur Rahim
Fullname:Abdur Rahim
Birth Date:1932
Birth Place:Rokanpur, Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Death Date:[1]
Death Place:Dhaka, Bangladesh
Position:Left-winger
Years1:1948–1952
Clubs1:Dhaka Wanderers
Years2:1952
Clubs2:Fire Service
Years3:1952
Clubs3:Kolkata Mohammedan
Years4:1953
Clubs4:East Bengal
Years5:1953–1956
Clubs5:Dhaka Wanderers
Nationalyears1:1955
Nationalteam1:Pakistan
Manageryears1:1958–1972
Managerclubs1:Dhaka Wanderers
Manageryears2:1975
Managerclubs2:Bangladesh
Manageryears3:1975–1980
Manageryears4:1978
Managerclubs4:Bangladesh U19 (assistant)
Manageryears5:1979–1981
Managerclubs5:Bangladesh
Manageryears6:1981–1982
Managerclubs6:Abahani Krira Chakra
Manageryears7:1982
Managerclubs7:Bangladesh
Manageryears8:1983
Managerclubs8:Dhaka Mohammedan (assistant)
Manageryears9:1983
Managerclubs9:Bangladesh
Manageryears10:1984–1986
Managerclubs10:Rahmatganj MFS
Manageryears11:1985
Managerclubs11:Bangladesh
Manageryears12:1987
Managerclubs12:Bangladesh
Manageryears13:1990
Managerclubs13:Bangladesh U16
Manageryears14:1990
Managerclubs14:Bangladesh
Manageryears15:1994–1995
Managerclubs15:Fakirerpool YMC

Abdur Rahim (Bengali: আবদুর রহিম; 1932 – 30 October 2004) was a Bangladeshi football manager and player. He represented the Pakistan national team during his playing career and was later head coach of the Bangladesh national team on a record seven different appointments, including for the country's maiden AFC Asian Cup appearance. In 1980 he received the National Sports Awards, for his contribution to Bangladeshi football.[1]

Playing career

Abdur Rahim was born in Dhaka in 1932. He started playing with local club Dhaka Sporting and later played in the Dhaka League with Dhaka Wanderers, while still being a ninth grade student at St. Gregory's High School. With the Wanderers he won the league title in both 1950 and 1951, before moving to Fire Service SC in 1952. He later played in the Calcutta Football League with Mohammedan SC and East Bengal. He scored a brace in his debut for Kolkata Mohammedan against Kalighat FC. In 1953, he returned to Dhaka Wanderers, winning the Dhaka League title for four straight seasons from 1953 to 1956.[2] His performances with the club earned him a call up to the Pakistan national team for the 1955 Colombo Cup. Although he did not make an appearance during the tournament, he made his debut during a friendly against India the same month, setting up a goal for his East Pakistani teammate Tajul Islam Manna. Rahim also took part in the Pakistan National Championship with the East Pakistan team in both 1953 and 1955.[3] He was forced to retire after suffering a serious leg injury against East Pakistan Press during a league fixture in 1956.[4]

Coaching career

Club

In 1958, only a couple of years after ending his playing career, Rahim took charge of Dhaka Wanderers and guided the club to their seventh league title, from which he won the previous six as a player. Rahim remained at the helm until 1972, in a period which saw the club rarely challenging for the league title. In 1973, Rahim received advanced coaching training from Germany. In 1975, Rahim managed Victoria SC, and although during his tenure at the club they languished in mid-table, he notably converted central defender Sheikh Mohammad Aslam into a forward in 1979.[5] Aslam went on to score a record 177 domestic league goals over the next two decades. He is also credited for scouting Khurshid Alam Babul, a player who later captained the national team.[6]

In 1981, he coached Abahani Krira Chakra to the club's third Dhaka League title. In 1982, after Abahani lost the league title to arch-rivals Mohammedan SC, Rahim departed the club, stating "আমি কুফা কোচ আর কোচিং করবো না" . In 1983, Rahim joined Mohammedan as assistant to head coach Golam Sarwar Tipu. Following his stint with Mohammedan, Rahim went onto coach mid-table club Rahmatganj MFS, before focusing on grassroots football. Rahim was also one of the first coaches in the country to introduce monthly salaries for players in the domestic league during his time with Victoria.[6]

International

In 1975, Rahim was appointed head coach of the Bangladesh national football team for the 1975 Merdeka Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[1] Bangladesh lost six of their seven games and managed only a 1–1 draw with Thailand. During the tournament, the team received news of the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état. Unable to withdraw from the tournament, the team protested before their game against South Korea, keeping the national flag at half-mast and wearing a black badge. Rahim's side lost 0–4.[7] Later, Rahim served as the assistant coach of Bangladesh U19 during the 1978 AFC Youth Championship held in Dhaka.[8]

In October 1979, Rahim was appointed as the head of the Bangladesh national team for the 1980 AFC Asian Cup. Despite almost a year of training, Bangladesh failed to secure a victory in any of the tournament games, although they put up a good fight against North Korea and Syria, both of which ended in defeat. Rahim's Bangladesh squad was one of the youngest in the tournament, featuring teenage forwards Mohammed Mohsin and Abdus Salam Murshedy.[2]

Rahim continued to coach the national team in the 1982 and 1983 editions of the President's Gold Cup. He achieved his first victory as head coach during the 1983 edition, guiding his team to a 4–2 win over Nepal on September 5, 1983.[9] The game is also renowned for Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu's hat-trick, marking the first in the national team's history. Rahim remained in charge during the Merdeka Cup later that year.[10]

In January 1985, Rahim took charge of the national team for the fifth time in preparation for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round. It marked the first time the country would participate in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. After three consecutive defeats, Rahim's side secured their first victory in the qualifiers by defeating Indonesia 2–0 at the Bangladesh Army Stadium on 2 April 1985. Bangladesh finished their qualifying campaign at the bottom of their group with two victories and four defeats from six games.[11] [12]

Rahim returned once again as the national team coach for the 1987 South Asian Games held in Calcutta. Rahim's side entered the tournament without key players Mohamed Mohsin, Sheikh Aslam and Ranjit Saha, as Bangladesh failed to qualify for the finals for the first time. They also lost the bronze medal match to Pakistan.[13]

Rahim served as head coach of Bangladesh U16 at the 1990 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers and left a notable mark despite not advancing to the main round. Draws against Japan U16 and Thailand U16, coupled with a 4–0 victory over Malaysia U16, secured a group runners-up finish.[14] His seventh and final stint as senior national team coach was at the 1990 Asian Games, where Bangladesh finished at the bottom of their group with heavy defeats against Asian giants Japan and Saudi Arabia.[2]

Personal life and death

On 30 October 2004, Rahim died at the age of 72 at his residence in Rokonpur, Dhaka. He was survived by his wife and two sons.[1]

He suffered from kidney aliment and underwent treatment at Bangladesh Medical College.[5] [15]

Managerial statistics

TeamFromToRecord
July 1975August 1975
October 1979May 1981
August 1982August 1982
August 1983September 1983
25 January 198512 April 1985
October 1987 November 1987
September 1990October 1990

Honours

Player

Dhaka Wanderers

1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956Pakistan

Manager

Dhaka Wanderers

1960

Abahani Krira Chakra

1981

1982

Awards and accolades

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Soccer's Rahim passes away. 31 October 2004. archive.thedailystar.net. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122143423/https://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/10/31/d41031041244.htm. live.
  2. Book: Dulal, Mahmud . bn:পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় . Bishhoshahitto Bhobon . 2014 . bn.
  3. Web site: বাঙালির ফুটবল-সাফল্য এখন কেবলই স্মৃতি. bn. উত্তরাধিকার ৭১ নিউজ : মুক্তিযুদ্ধের চেতনায় বাংলাদেশ গড়ার প্রত্যয়. 13 February 2023. 6 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220406083259/http://m.u71news.com/article/57359/index.html. live.
  4. Web site:

    Sport::15th Anniversary Special

    . archive.thedailystar.net. 13 February 2023. 11 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230211101101/https://archive.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/sports/sports31.htm. live.
  5. Web site: Sonali Otit assist ailing Rahim. 1 May 2004. archive.thedailystar.net. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122144024/https://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/05/01/d40501041848.htm. live.
  6. Web site: ওই গোলটাই খেলোয়াড়ি জীবনের সেরা মুহূর্ত. 21 April 2016. bn. Kalerkantho. 28 November 2023. https://archive.today/20231128073849/https://www.kalerkantho.com/feature/khalar-ghor/2016/04/21/350053. live.
  7. News: https://www.banglatribune.com/national/695981/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%9F%C2%A0%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%C2%A0%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%87 . bn:প্রথম প্রতিবাদ হয় মারদেকা কাপে . Bangla Tribune . bn . 18 September 2022 . 20 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170909/https://www.banglatribune.com/national/695981/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%9F%C2%A0%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%C2%A0%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%87 . live.
  8. Web site: ঢাকার মাঠে সবচেয়ে বড় ফুটবল উৎসব. 20 April 2021. Utp al Shuvro. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122143751/https://www.utpalshuvro.com/special-article/news/417. live.
  9. Web site: ৩য় প্রেসিডেন্ট গোল্ডকাপ ফুটবল প্রতিযোগিতা ১৯৮৩. May 15, 2020. Onnodristy. November 22, 2023. February 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220214142617/https://onnodristy.com/%e0%a7%a9%e0%a7%9f-%e0%a6%aa%e0%a7%8d%e0%a6%b0%e0%a7%87%e0%a6%b8%e0%a6%bf%e0%a6%a1%e0%a7%87%e0%a6%a8%e0%a7%8d%e0%a6%9f-%e0%a6%97%e0%a7%8b%e0%a6%b2%e0%a7%8d%e0%a6%a1%e0%a6%95%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%aa/. live.
  10. Web site: উজ্জ্বল মুখ. bn . December 22, 2015. www.kalerkantho.com. 28 November 2023. https://archive.today/20231128074405/https://www.kalerkantho.com/feature/khalar-ghor/2015/12/24/305737. live.
  11. Web site: স্মৃতির এ্যালবামে ৩৪ বছর আগেকার বিশ্বকাপ বাছাই আসরে বাংলাদেশ ও ভারতের ফুটবল লড়াই. 19 October 2019. bn. Kiron's Sport Desk. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122144807/https://kironsportsdesk.com/2019/10/13/%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%83%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%8F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87-%E0%A7%A9%E0%A7%AA-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%B0/. live.
  12. Web site: রাজধানীতে বিশ্বকাপ ট্রফি : উৎসবের মাঝেও বিষাদের সুর!. January 1, 1970. dhakapost.com. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122144705/https://www.dhakapost.com/sports/121520. live.
  13. News: https://www.prothomalo.com/sports/football/%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A7%A7%E0%A7%AB-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%B0...%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8 . bn:একটা সোনা জিততে ১৫ বছর...কেন?. Prothom Alo. bn. 2 February 2023 . 20 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170719/https://www.prothomalo.com/sports/football/%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A7%A7%E0%A7%AB-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%B0...%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8. live.
  14. Web site: 'এভাবে চলে যেতে নেই বন্ধু'. bn. নাইর. ইকবাল. www.prothomalo.com. 2022-02-19. 2023-03-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20230305170734/https://www.prothomalo.com/sports/football/%E2%80%98%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%81%E2%80%99. live.
  15. Web site: Quader visits ailing Rahim. 6 May 2004. archive.thedailystar.net. 22 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122143901/https://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/05/06/d40506041246.htm. live.