Moideen Kutty

Moideen Kutty (1928 – 7 September 2011[1]), was a Pakistani footballer who played as a forward.[2] Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history, he was the fourth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team after Osman Jan, Abdul Wahid Durrani and Muhammad Sharif.[3]

Moideen Kutty
Kutty in Pakistan national team blazers
Personal information
Date of birth 1928
Place of birth Malappuram, Madras Presidency, British India
Date of death 7 September 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 82–83)
Place of death Karachi, Pakistan
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1947 Royal Indian Air Force
1947–1951 PAF FC
1955 Pakistan Army
1956 Pakistan Combined Services
International career
1952–1956 Pakistan ?? (??)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

Kutty was born in Malappuram, in the Madras Presidency of British India 1928.[1]

Nicknamed as "Irumban" (lit. 'Iron man') due to his lethal barefoot finishing, he developed an interest in football while attending the model high school in Malappuram, where he also guided the team to victories in inter-school competitions.[2] Following his matriculation, he enlisted in the Royal Indian Air Force in 1944. Experiencing his inaugural moments of playing football with boots during his training in Bangalore, he became an essential component of the Royal Indian Air Force football squad.[2]

Club career

Early years

In 1947, during the Partition of British India, Kutty was serving in the Royal Indian Air Force, where the majority of his colleagues hailed from the western Punjab Province, which eventually became part of Pakistan after the independence. Consequently, he opted for Pakistan in order to remain alongside his teammates and continue his football journey.[2] His decision was made without a full understanding of the broader ramifications of the Partition, as he held the belief that India and Pakistan would maintain friendly relations and that travel between the two nations would be seamless.

“He believed India and Pakistan would be two friendly countries and cross-border movements would be smooth. It was only later he realised that he was awfully wrong and these two countries were likely to stay hostile to each other for the conceivable time.”

Moideen's cousin-in-law Ahmed Kutty to The Indian Express[2]

Consequently, Kutty became a part of the Royal Pakistan Air Force, which emerged following the partition of the British Indian military forces. He continued his football involvement in his new homeland.[2]

Pakistan

In 1950, Kutty was chosen to be a part of the Pakistan Air Force football team, assuming the role of captain for the PAF team during the 1951 All-Pakistan Inter-Services Football Championship.[1]

He also participated in the 1955 Army Football Tournament that took place in Iran, which showcased army football teams from India, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.[1] The Pakistan Army team achieved victories against India and Iran, secured a draw against Syria and Iraq, but faced a loss to Turkey.[4] Overall, they finished in the second position behind the Turkish team in the Army Tournament.[4]

During Iran's tour of Pakistan in 1956, Kutty represented a Pakistan Combined Services team in a match against Iran. After Iran secured a 1–0 victory over Pakistan at the YMCA Ground in Karachi, the Combined Services team managed to turn the tables by defeating Iran 2–1 in the subsequent game, avenging Pakistan's earlier loss.[1]

International career
Kutty in the bottom left with the Pakistan national team in 1955

Kutty made his debut with the Pakistan national team during the 1952 Colombo Cup. In his debut match, Kutty scored against the host team, Ceylon, making a notable debut.[2] Pakistan played its first match against India after victories over Ceylon and Burma, which ended in a goalless draw and emerged as joint winners of the tournament after finishing with the same points in the table.[5]

In the subsequent edition of the tournament held in Burma in 1953, he scored two goals against Ceylon in Pakistan's resounding 6–0 victory.[5]

He was appointed captain of the Pakistan team for the 1954 Asian Games in Manila,[3] where he made a significant impact by scoring a goal and providing an assist in Pakistan's 6–2 victory over Singapore.[6]

Managerial career

Following his playing career, Moideen Kutty transitioned into coaching roles. In 1956, he took on the position of coach for both the Pakistan Services and Air Force teams. Subsequently, he briefly coached the Pakistan senior team. His coaching journey extended to mentoring various youth teams for a span of over 12 years.[2]

Personal life

In recognition of his significant contributions to sports, Moideen Kutty was honored with the Pride of Performance Award, a prestigious civilian accolade in Pakistan. He received this recognition from President Yahya Khan in the year 1969.[2]

Despite facing numerous procedural challenges, Kutty managed to make visits to Malappuram during the 1980s and 90s to see his mother and brothers.[2]

Moideen's spouse, Sainaba, who passed away in 1987, also originated from Malappuram. The couple had a total of two sons and three daughters, and together, they resided in Karachi.[2]

Death

Moideen passed away on 7 September 2011 in Karachi, at the age of 83.[1]

Honours

Pakistan

Individual

References
  1. Editorial Staff (2011-09-08). "Ex-Captain Pakistan, M.D. Kutty passes away aged 83". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  2. "Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team". The Indian Express. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  3. Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. "1955 Six-Nation Army Tournament". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  5. "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  6. "Asian Games 1954". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  7. "The Indian National Team at the Colombo Cup". indianfootball.de. Archived from the original on 13 June 2003. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
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