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Abdul Ghafoor (footballer)

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Abdul Ghafoor
Personal information
Full name Abdul Ghafoor
Date of birth (1938-08-03)3 August 1938
Place of birth Karachi, Sind, British India
Date of death 7 September 2012(2012-09-07) (aged 74)
Place of death Karachi, Pakistan
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957 Saifi Sports
1958 Sindh Government Press
1958–1959 Karachi Kickers
1960 Kolkata Mohammedan
1961 Dhaka Mohammedan
1962–1964 Victoria SC
1963 Dhaka Wanderers
1965–1968 Dhaka Mohammedan
1969–1970 Dilkusha SC
1971–?? Karachi Port Trust
International career
1959–1974 Pakistan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Abdul Ghafoor (3 August 1938 – 7 September 2012), known by his nickname Majna, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[1][2] Ghafoor also captained the Pakistan national football team during the 1974 Asian Games. He was nicknamed the Pakistani Pelé and Black Pearl of Pakistan, for his resemblance to the Brazilian football legend and his playing abilities, and is regarded as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history.[3][4]

Early life

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Ghafoor was born in Saifi Lane, Baghdadi, a neighbourhood of Lyari in Karachi in British India on 3 August 1938.[5] Belonging to the Sheedi community, his grandparents reportedly migrated from Africa and settled in Saifi Lane.[6] Ghafoor was fond of football since early age, and often ran away during classes to nearby ground to join boys playing football. Ghafoor claimed that he had to sell his school bags in order to buy sports shoes.[6] He was popularly known by his nickname Majna.[3][6]

Club career

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Early career

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Ghafoor sitting second from the left with the 1958 Aga Khan Gold Cup winning Karachi Kickers team

Ghafoor mostly played in the midfield, but he was tried in all other positions too except for goalkeeper.[7]

He began his career in 1957, representing his local side Saifi Sports in Lyari. He played in the 1958 All-Pakistan President's Cup for the Sindh Government Press. He also led Karachi Kickers to victory in the Aga Khan Gold Cup the same year.

Kolkata Mohammedan

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Ghafoor sitting second from the left with the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup winning Kolkata Mohammedan team

In a later tour of Mumbai in 1960, he signed up for Kolkata Mohammedan Sporting Club to play as a professional footballer in the Calcutta Football League in India.[8] He was recommended by fellow national teammate and club captain Muhammad Umer.[6]

He won the Aga Khan Gold Cup with the club the same year.[9]

Dhaka Mohammedan & Victoria SC

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Abdul Ghafoor standing sixth from the left with Dhaka Mohammedan in 1966.

Ghafoor then also played for Dhaka Mohammedan as well as Victoria SC in former East Pakistan.[10]

With the former he won the Dhaka League three times and twice with Victoria, as well as winning the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1962.

Dhaka Wanderers

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File:1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup runners-up Dhaka Wanderers Club.png
Ghafoor sitting at the far left with 1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup runners-up Dhaka Wanderers Club

In 1963, Dhaka Wanderers formed a strong team to participate in the Aga Khan Gold Cup, acquiring Ghafoor along with national teammates Ghulam Abbas Baloch, Muhammad Umer, Abdullah Rahi, Yusuf Jr., and Yusuf Sr. from defending champions Victoria, who had withdrawn from the tournament.

After defeating Police AC, Nepal XI, Pakistan Western Railway and Indonesia XI in the semi-final, the club eventually lost 1–2 to Pakistan Railways.[11]

Dilkusha SC

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Ghafoor also played for Dilkusha SC in 1962, 1964 and 1967.[6] He helped the side finish runner-up in the Dhaka League in 1969.[10][11]

Karachi Port Trust

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In 1971, Ghafoor joined Karachi Port Trust as a player and then became coach of the club before retiring from the team via golden handshake in 2000.[5]

International career

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Abdul Ghafoor Majna shakes hands with the Chinese chief guest before a match

Ghafoor made his national team debut in 1959 after receiving a call-up from coach John McBride, for a friendly tour in Burma and Indo-China. He subsequently played in December the same year at the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification held in India. He also was the only Pakistani player to feature in an Asian XI side in 1960.[5]

Ghafoor was also part of the Pakistan team under the captainship of Muhammad Umer that played the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, where Pakistan reached the final but lost narrowly to Indonesia by 1–2.[12]

In 1964, Abdul Ghafoor toured China with the national team and then was made vice-captain for a friendly tour in Ceylon in 1965 and the 1965 RCD Cup in Iran.

Abdul Ghafoor with Iran national team captain Parviz Ghelichkhani (left) during the 1974 Asian Games

In 1967, Abdul Ghafoor announced his retirement from the national team after he and numerous footballers from Karachi had a falling out with then Pakistan Football Federation general secretary, Major Malik Muhammad Hussain.[5] However, in 1974, Ghafoor came out of retirement on the special request of then Pakistan Football Federation president Abdul Sattar Gabol, to play one last for Pakistan in the 1974 Asian Games.[13][14]

Ghafoor was part of Pakistan national football team in their golden era, when the national side recorded their best results against strong opponent sides.[4]

Personal life

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"There was not a single player close to his quality in the subcontinent. He was such a quality player that we felt comfortable with the knowledge that he was playing for our side. Had he played in Europe, he would've been as famous as Pelé."

Zakaria Pintoo during an interview to The Daily Star[10]

Ghafoor was nicknamed the Pakistani Pelé during his playing days for his resemblance to the Brazilian football legend and his playing abilities. According to Ghafoor's son, when Pelé in Brazil heard about his look-alike in Pakistan, he expressed his desire to meet Ghafoor although that didn't happen.[3][7] During his time in Dhaka, Ghafoor also received several offers to play for clubs in the Soviet Union and China, but he turned them down and preferred to play in his country.[3]

When playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club in Dhaka, Ghafoor met his wife Sabiha.[10] His wife's parents were originally from Allahabad in India, and the couple married after her father, who was a government servant, served as driver for a minister in Dhaka and was impressed by Ghafoor during football matches and began admiring him.[6][15] The couple then later lived in Lyari, Karachi.[10]

Ghafoor worked for Karachi Port Trust in his later years until his retirement.[7] He natively spoke the Balochi language along with Urdu.[16] After his retirement he was involved with the sport visiting football grounds and spending his time at his former team Saifi Club, coaching younger players.[6]

In May 2006, it was reported that Ghafoor had loss of hearing and nearly impaired vision. During his interview with Dawn before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ghafoor expressed his support for Brazil, and demanded the freedom of his jailed son Abdul Ghani, footballer and employee of Habib Bank who was arrested in early 2004 from his home in Karachi in a crackdown against extremists, after he was accused of planning terrorist acts.[17][16] This also resulted in Ghafoor getting paralyzed due to the shock after local security authorities raided the house and detained his son. Ghani was later released from prison.[6]

In 2006, the Bangladesh Football Federation also contacted Ghafoor again to suggest some players from Pakistan to play in their league. However, the letter never reached Ghafoor, and was sent to the Pakistan Football Federation as the Bangladesh football authorities believed that a player such as Ghafoor would be running the affairs of football in the country. The Pakistan Football Federation sent its own team of boys to Bangladesh instead of forwarding the letter to Ghafoor.[3][7]

Ghafoor's sons also played football. His son Abdul Ghani played for Habib Bank, and his other son Abdul Waheed played for Pakistan Army FC. His nephews Allah Bakhsh played for PIA and Muhammad Shafi played for Habib Bank, while his brother-in-law Ishtiaq Ahmed played as goalkeeper for Habib Bank.

Death

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Ghafoor died in Lyari, Karachi on 7 September 2012 after suffering from a paralysis attack four years prior.[5][18] He was survived by his wife, his two sons and three daughters.[19][20] He spent his last years in abject poverty.[4] Although Faisal Saleh Hayat, the President of the Pakistan Football Federation released a statement after Ghafoor's death, the federation came under criticism from the Pakistani media about its lack of support for Ghafoor in his five years of illness.[3]

Career statistics

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International goals

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Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.

List of international goals scored by Abdul Ghafoor
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 17 December 1959 Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi, India  Israel 2–0 2–2 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification [21]

Honours

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Karachi Kickers
Mohammedan SC (Calcutta)
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka)
Victoria SC
Pakistan

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ahsan, Ali (23 December 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan – Part I". www.dawn.com. Karachi, Pakistan: Dawn. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ^ Ahsan, Ali (23 December 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan – Part II". www.dawn.com. Karachi, Pakistan: Dawn. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Agencies (7 September 2012). "'Pakistani Pele' Abdul Ghafoor dead at 71". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "The years of dreams | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Pakistan's 'Pele' passes away". The Nation. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Imagining Lyari Through Akhtar Soomro - 3 Quarks Daily". 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Hasan, Shazia (6 January 2012). "'Pakistani Pele' gets financial support". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ^ Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006). A Social History of Indian Football: Striving to Score. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-34835-5. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Aga Khan Gold Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Kala Ghafoor no more". The Daily Star. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
  12. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Thursday 20 September 1962" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Jaffar named captain of U-23 soccer team". Brecorder. 6 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Pak-Bahrain football match on May 16". Brecorder. 26 April 2007. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  15. ^ express (5 May 2010). "'Pakistani Pele' fights paralysis". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b "KARACHI: Suspects' families contest police claim". DAWN.COM. 14 April 2004. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Pakistan's 'Black Pele' hopes World Cup brings family joy". DAWN.COM. 28 May 2006. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Pakistan on Saturday mourned the death of the country's former football captain Abdul Ghafoor who was likened to Brazilian legend Pele because of their similar looks and style of play. Ghafoor died after a prolonged illness on Friday. He was 71". The Times of India. 8 September 2012. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Pakistani Pele was a 'football encyclopaedia'". The Express Tribune. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  20. ^ "'Pakistan's Pele' dies, aged 71". Arab News. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Israel Official Games 1948-1959". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Bangladesh - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
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