Syed Abdus Samad (footballer)

Syed Abdus Samad (Bengali: সৈয়দ আবদুস সামাদ; 6 December 1895 – 2 February 1964) was an Pakistani football player from Bengal.[1][2] Dubbed "Football Jadukor" (lit.'Football Magician'),[3][4] he played for India national football team in 1924 and captained it in 1926.[5] He played as a forward. Samad's football career lasted from 1915–1938.[5]

Syed Abdus Samad
Samad in an undated photograph
Personal information
Date of birth 6 December 1895
Place of birth Burdwan, West Bengal, Bengal Presidency, British India
Date of death 2 February 1964(1964-02-02) (aged 68–69)
Place of death Parbatipur, Dinajpur, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Purnia Junior FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1912–1915 Calcutta Main Town Club
1915–1920 Tajhat FC
1918–1918 Calcutta Orients Club
1921–1930 East Bengal Railway
1927–1927 Victoria Sporting Club
1931–1932 Mohun Bagan
1933–1938 Mohammedan Sporting
International career
1924–1934 India
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

Samad was born in 1895 in Burdwan, Bengal Presidency (now in West Bengal) in British India. His family later settled in Moulvitola.[6] He left school during his studies in the eighth grade.[5] Samad displayed his talents in football from his early boyhood,[5] and was influenced by headmaster of his school – Piyare Mohan Mookherji.[6] Beside football, he began playing both cricket and tennis.[6] Samad's father Syed Fazlul Bari was a government employee while his grandfather had been posted as "Sadre Alaa" (a higher judicial post at that time).[6]

Playing career

Youth career

Samad played football for Purnia Zilla School in interschool tournament, and he scored all ten goals for his team in their 10–0 win against Umapati Kumar's Kishanganj Higher English School in a match.[7] He also helped his school team winning the prestigious Fawcus Cup.[6] He first drew attention of the football club managers of Calcutta when he played for the Purnia Junior Football Club.

Senior career

He joined the Calcutta Main Town Club in 1912. During 1915–1920, he played for Tajhat Football Club of Rangpur. Dukhiram Majumder was one of founding members of Aryan Club in 1888, was responsible for bringing up players like Samad.[8][9][10][11] Samad also took first football training from him.[12][13][14] In 1927, he joined Victoria Sporting Club of Dhaka.[15][16]

In 1916, Samad played in a match against Somerset Football Team of England. And beat them by 4-1. He played for Calcutta Orients Club in 1918. He joined East Bengal Railway Club in 1921 and played until 1930. With the team, he won All-India Railway Championship thrice.[6] At that time in 1927, the club achieved runner-up position in Durand Cup.[17][18] Samad scored the most memorable trophy-winning goal of his career in 1927 against the Sherwood Forestry Team patronised by the Chief of the British Indian Army Lieutenant General Sherwood Mall.[5]

Off Samad the less said the better. Suffice it to say that on his day he would have walked into a world eleven. Yes, on his day!

Pankaj Gupta, legendary Indian sports administrator, on Samad.[6]

As a member of India national team, he toured Burma, Ceylon, Hong Kong, China, Java, Sumatra, Malay, Borneo, Singapore and Britain. In a match played against China in Peking, he played as a substitute player in the second half and scored four goals in a row to give his side a 4–3 victory after trailing 0–3 in the first half.[19]

In 1931, Mohun Bagan acquired the services of Samad, where he played alongside legendary players including Gostha Pal,[20][21] Karuna Bhattacharya, Umapati Kumar, Sanmatha Dutta, Balaidas Chatterjee,[22][23] Satu Chowdhury,[24][25][26] and Bimal Mukherjee.

At the age of 38, he joined the Mohammedan Sporting Club and played in during 1933–1938, club's "golden age".[27][5] In 1933, Mohammedan qualified for the first division of Calcutta Football League for the first time in its history. Mohammedan became the first native club to capture the Calcutta Football League title in 1934,[28][29][30][31] in their very first year in top division which was a rare feat.[32][33] The club became Senior Division champion five years in a row from 1934 to 1938.[34][35] In 1936, Sporting became the second Indian club to win IFA Shield.[36] In the same year, due to a serious injury, Samad's playing career came to an end.[37]

Personal life and legacy

After the partition of India in 1947, Samad settled in Parbatipur Upazila of Dinajpur in East Pakistan.[38] He was employed at the Pakistan Eastern Railway. In 1957, he was appointed as coach of National Sports Council Board.[38] He was recipient of the Pride of Performance (President's Award) in 1962.[5]

Samad had a son named Golam Hossain. Together they played for Railway team in 1944.[5][39] He died on 2 February 1964 in Parbatipur Upazila. In 1969, Parbatipur Railway Institute was renamed to Samad Institute in his memory.[6] East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) Government released a postal stamp commemorating him in 1969.[40] Bangladesh Football Federation organizes the annual "Jadukar Samad Smriti Football Tournament".[5] Later, the Government of Bangladesh also launched a postage stamp series in his memory.[41] Later, Samad Milanayatan was built in his memory in Parbatipur, by the Bangladesh Railway.[37]

Honours

East Bengal Railway

Mohammedan Sporting[42]

Individual

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan Archived 17 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Pakistan Herald Publications. 1968.
  2. Guha, Chandak (5 September 2019). "ইংরেজরাও ভয় পেত বাংলার প্রথম কিংবদন্তি ফুটবল কোচকে" [The Englishmen too feared Bengal's legendary first football coach]. bongodorshon.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Bongodorshon Information Desk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  3. Hoque, Elis (19 July 2019). "হারিয়ে যাওয়া মোহামেডানীদের সালতামামি…" [Diary of the lost stars of Mohammedan]. onnodristy.com (in Bengali). Dhaka: Onno Dristi Bangla. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  4. Hoque, Shishir (4 March 2018). "Football before the birth of Bangladesh". archive.dhakatribune.com. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Samad, Syed Abdus". In Islam, Sirajul; Haider, Mohammad (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. Nasar, S. A. (2020). "SAMAD: FOOTBALL WIZARD OF INDIA". Booksie. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  7. "Mohun Bagan Athletic Club: Umapati Kumar". mohunbagangorbo.com. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  8. Sengupta, Somnath (24 April 2012). "Legends Of Indian Football : The Pioneers". thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  9. Majumdar, Boria, Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (1 February 2006). Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation. New Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780670058747. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Dasgupta, Biplab (11 October 2020). "প্রসঙ্গঃ স্যার দুখীরাম মজুমদার" [Context: Sir Dukhiram Majumdar]. justnews24x7official.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Just News 24×7. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2008). "Football in Bengali culture and society: a study in the social history of football in Bengal 1911–1980". Shodhganga. University of Calcutta. p. 35. hdl:10603/174532. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  12. Mondal, Avik (4 December 2020). "শিবদাস ভাদুড়ী,গোষ্ঠ পাল সকলেই তাঁর ছাত্র,বাঙালি মনে রাখেনি বাংলার ফুটবলের প্রথম কোচ দুখীরাম মজুমদারকে". banglaamarpran567383012.wpcomstaging.com (in Bengali). Bangla Amar Pran – The glorious hub for the Bengal. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  13. "ভাইপোকে পোস্টে বেঁধে লাথি মেরে ছিলেন স্যার দুখিরাম মজুমদার…" [Sir Dukhiram Majumdar tied his nephew to a post and kicked him...]. xtratimebangla.in (in Bengali). Kolkata: Xtratime Bangla. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  14. Mitra, Atanu (9 October 2017). "A 19th century visionary: The legend behind one of India's first football scouts". scroll.in. Kolkata: Scroll. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  15. "তোমাদের গোলপোস্ট নিচু আছে" [Your goal posts are low]. www.shomoyeralo.com (in Bengali). Dhaka: Daily Shomoyer Alo Bangla. 13 June 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  16. Sardar, Rayhan (11 September 2021). "লন্ডনের মাঠে সামাদের এক হালি গোল" [Samad scored a goal in London]. anannya.com (in Bengali). Dhaka: Anannya. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  17. "List of Winners/Runners-Up of the Durand Cup". Indianfootball.de. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. List of Durand Cup tournament winners and runner-ups Archived 29 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  19. Haider, Rajib (10 June 2014). "আমাদেরও ছিল এক ফুটবল জাদুকর" [We also had a football wizard]. www.prothomalo.com (in Bengali). Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  20. Majumdar, Rounak (22 April 2019). "The Golden Years of Indian Football". www.chaseyoursport.com. Kolkata: Chase Your Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  21. "Gostha Pal – IFAWB: biography". ifa.org. Indian Football Association. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  22. "Balai Das Chatterjee is Mohun Bagan Ratna 2013". Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  23. "Balaidas Chatterjee". themohunbaganac.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  24. "Era of Legends – 1930 to 1939". Mohun Bagan Club. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  25. "Mohun Bagan to honour legend Karuna Bhattacharya". Business Standard. 12 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  26. "Countrywide success – 1920 to 1929". Mohun Bagan Club. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  27. Hassan, Mirza (23 July 2018). "Football and nationalisms in Bengal". thedailystar.net. Dhaka, Bangladesh: The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  28. Flint, Andrew (11 November 2015). "A Tale of One City: Kolkata". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  29. THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL IN KOLKATA Archived 9 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Xtra Time. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  30. Why Bengal is obsessed with football? Archived 9 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Indian Express. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  31. "Football – the passion play in Kolkata". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  32. "List of Calcutta Football League Champions". Indian Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  33. Sirkar, Sudipto (21 February 2012). "Mohammedan Sporting - The Football History". Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  34. "Syed Abdus Samad – The Forgotten Legend of Indian Football". thif-live.com. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  35. "Football and nationalisms in Bengal". The Daily Star. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  36. "Looking back at Mohammedan Sporting's historic Durand Cup triumph". 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  37. Hassan, Mirza (18 August 2019). "আবদুস সামাদ : ফুটবলের বাঙালি জাদুকর" [Abdus Samad: The Bengali Magician of Football]. barta24.com (in Bengali). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Barta24 News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  38. "Samad's death anniversary observed". www.thedailystar.net. Dinajpur: The Daily Star. 3 February 2012. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  39. "Football in Bangladesh - Azam Mahmood". Bdsportsvision.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  40. Wilson, Ajay (30 June 2014). "Syed Abdus Samad – The Forgotten Legend of Indian Football". thif-live.com. Thif-Live. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  41. Khan Chandan, Md Shahnawaz (18 July 2014). "The Unsung Hero – The story of a forgotten football star of our own". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  42. Sengupta, Somnath (27 May 2011). "Legends of Indian Football : Mohammedan Sporting in 1930s". www.thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  43. "Pakistan Sports Board — Awards (Presidential Pride of Performance): Football". www.sports.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.