Abbas Mirza (footballer)

Abbas Mirza
Kolkata Mohammedan captain, Mirza, posing with the IFA Shield and Calcutta League titles, 1936.
Personal information
Date of birth 1917
Place of birth Murshidabad, British India
Date of death (aged 62)[1]
Place of death Dhaka, Bangladesh
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Position Center-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1934–1939 Kolkata Mohammedan
Calcutta Customs
1954 Ispahani Club
International career
1936–1938 India XI
Managerial career
1956 Dhaka Mohammedan
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Abbas Mirza (Bengali: আব্বাস মির্জা; 1917 – 16 September 1980) was a Bangladeshi footballer and sports organiser. He captained Kolkata Mohammedan from 1935 to 1939.[3] He also represented the India XI in international exhibition matches between 1936 and 1938. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to sports, he was awarded the Pride of Performance Award of Pakistan in 1963,[4] and Independence Day Award of Bangladesh in 1981.[5]

Early life

Mirza was born in Murshidabad, British India in 1917. He was a graduate of Presidency College, Calcutta. He also represented the college football and hockey teams, and received the prestigious Blue certificate.[3]

Club career

Mirza joined Kolkata Mohammedan in 1934 and was given the club's captaincy the following year. He captained Mohammedan to a record four back-to-back Calcutta Football League titles from 1935 to 1938.[6][7] Most notably, he was influential during the league and IFA Shield “double” in 1936.[8] He later joined Calcutta Customs Club after taking up employment with the parent organization. In 1954, he represented Ispahani Club in the Dhaka First Division Football League alongside former Mohammedan teammates Hafiz Rashid and Mohammad Yasin.[9]

International career

On 4 July 1936, Mirza played for India XI against the China Olympic team in an international exhibition match. The game held at Calcutta FC Ground infront of 100,000 spectators ended in a 1–1 draw.[10] In August 1938, Mirza was selected to represent the Indian Football Association XI on their tour of Australia, during which they played numerous exhibition matches, including five games against the Australia national team.[11]

Sports administration

After the partition of India he and his family moved to Dhaka, East Pakistan.[3] In 1962, Mirza served as the chief coach of the National Football Coaching Centre in Dhaka.[12] In the same year, he was appointed Deputy Director of Pakistan Sports Control Board, to look after sports in East Pakistan.[13][14] Mirza also served as the Additional Director of Sports in the Central Government of Pakistan.[15] He served in the role from 1967 to 1977, before permanently settling in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[16]

Awards and honours

In 1963, Mirza was awarded the Pride of Performance Award of Pakistan for his contributions to sports.[4]

After the formation of Bangladesh, Mirza was awarded the Independence Day Award in 1981, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, posthumously.[5][17]

Death

Mirza died on 16 September 1980 while undergoing treatment at IPGMR Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[3]

Honours

Kolkata Mohammedan

Individual

References

  1. ^ "স্বর্ণযুগের কৃতি ফুটবলার আব্বাস মির্জা মারা গেছেন" [Golden era footballer Abbas Mirza passes away] (in Bengali). Dainik Bangla. 17 September 1980. p. 1.
  2. ^ "INDIAN SOCCER TEAM". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 August 1938. p. 15. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via trove.nla.gov.au.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. p. 50–51. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
  4. ^ a b c Pakistan Sports Board, Islamabad. "Pakistan Sports Board, Islamabad". sports.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  5. ^ a b "List of Independence Award recipients". Cabinet Division, Government of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  6. ^ Sengupta, Somnath (2011-05-27). "Legends of Indian Football : Mohammedan Sporting in 1930s". TheHardTackle.com. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  7. ^ Sreedhar, Nitin (2020-11-06). "Memories of Mohammed Salim, India's first international footballer". mint. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  8. ^ "MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING CLUB OF CALCUTTA 7 IT'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE CREATION OF PAKISTAN". The Pakistan Observer. 14 August 1968. p. 24. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via gpa.eastview.com.
  9. ^ "PRESS MAKE GOOD START". The Pakistan Observer. 11 June 1954. p. 6.
  10. ^ "India Draws With China". Google Books. p. 4. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  11. ^ "I.F.A. TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA". The Civil and Military Gazette. 2 August 1938. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Abbas Mirza's Statement". The Pakistan Observer. 25 Jun 1962. p. 6. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via gpa.eastview.com.
  13. ^ "Abbas To Look After Sports In East Pakistan". The Pakistan Observer. 18 October 1962. p. 6. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via gpa.eastview.com.
  14. ^ "Rodham Appointed Director of Sports". The Civil and Military Gazette. 27 October 1962. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ "E.P.S.F. to hold Sher-e-Bangla Soccer Tournament". The Civil and Military Gazette. 7 April 1963. Retrieved 29 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "স্বস্মৃতির আখরে আর একটি নাম আব্বাস মীর্জা" [Another name at the end of the memory is Abbas Mirza] (in Bengali). Krirajagat. 1 October 1980. p. 6. পাকিস্তান সরকার ১৯৬৭ থেকে ক্রীড়া নিয়ন্ত্রণ বোর্ডের অতিরিক্ত পরিচালক হিসেবে নিযুক্ত করে। বাংলাদেশ হওয়ার পর ১৯৭৭সাল পর্যন্ত তিনি এই দায়িত্বে নিয়োজিত ছিলেন। [The Pakistan government appointed him as the Additional Director of the Sports Control Board in 1967. He served in this position until 1977, even after the formation of Bangladesh.]
  17. ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010-04-27). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
  18. ^ "Independence Day Award" (PDF). Government of Bangladesh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
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