Abdul Ghafoor (footballer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 ?? (?)
1965–1968 Dhaka Mohammedan ?? (?)
1969 Dilkusha SC[1] ?? (?)
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.[2][3] Ghafoor was also the former captain of Pakistan national football team.[4] He was nicknamed the "Pakistani Pele" and "Black Pearl of Pakistan".[5]

Club career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Ghafoor mostly played in the midfield, but he was tried in all other positions too except for goalkeeper.[6] He began his career in 1957, representing his local side Saifi Sports (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.[5]

Kolkata Mohammedan[edit]

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,[7][8] and Karachi League, Pakistan.[5]

Dhaka Mohammedan & Victoria SC[edit]

Abdul Ghafoor then also played for Dhaka Mohammedan as well as Victoria SC in former East Pakistan.[5]

Return to Dhaka Mohammedan[edit]

From 1965 till 1969, Abdul Ghafoor returned to Dhaka Mohammedan in East Pakistan.[5]

Karachi Port Trust[edit]

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[edit]

Ghafoor made his national team debut in 1959 after receiving a call-up from coach 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.[5]

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.[5]

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

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. 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.[5]

Ghafoor was part of Pakistan national football team in their golden era. According to The Express Tribune, he was "the last man alive from the days when the Pakistan football team was good enough to beat USSR, UAE and China – a far cry from the state of affairs right now". He served as the team's captain for 11 years.[5]

Personal life[edit]

Ghafoor was born in Saifi Lane, Baghdadi, a neighbourhood of Lyari in Karachi in British India. When playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) in Dhaka, Ghafoor met his wife Sabiha and then later they married. His wife Sabiha also had a predilection for football. The couple then later lived in Lyari, Karachi. Ghafoor worked for Karachi Port Trust in his later years until his retirement.[5]

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.[5] 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.[5]

Death[edit]

Ghafoor died in Lyari, Karachi on 7 September 2012 after suffering from a paralysis attack four years prior. Ghafoor left behind two sons and three daughters.[5][9] He spent his last years in poverty.[5]

Honours[edit]

Club

Karachi Kickers (West Pakistan)
Champion: 1958
Mohammedan SC (Calcutta)
Champion: 1960[10]
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka)
Runner up: 1961
Champion: 1961, 1965, 1966
  • Pakistan championship :
Champion: 1961/62
Victoria SC (East Pakistan)
Champion: 1962
Champion: 1962, 1964[11]

International

Pakistan National Team
Runners up: 1962[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Abdul Ghafoor Majna (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Riaz, Ahmed (7 September 2012). "Abdul Ghafoor Majna (1938-2012) by Riaz Ahmed". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  6. ^ Staff, Editorial (6 January 2012). "'Pakistani Pele' Abdul Ghafoor gets financial help". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Kapadia, Novy. "Mohammedan Sporting's glorious past is linked to its uncertain future". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Pakistani Pele was a 'football encyclopaedia'". The Express Tribune. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Aga Khan Gold Cup". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Bangladesh - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Merdeka Tournament 1962". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abdul_Ghafoor_(footballer)&oldid=1213505280"