Abbas Mirza (footballer)

Abbas Mirza was a Bangladeshi footballer and sports organiser. He captained Kolkata Mohammedan from 1935 to 1939. 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, and Independence Day Award of Bangladesh in 1981.

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.

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. Most notably, he was influential during the league and IFA Shield “double” in 1936. 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.

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. 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.

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

In 1963, Mirza was awarded the Pride of Performance Award of Pakistan for his contributions to sports.
After the formation of Bangladesh, Mirza was awarded the Independence Day Award in 1981, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, posthumously.

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

Kolkata Mohammedan

Individual