Syed Abdul Rahim

Syed Abdul Rahim
Personal information
Full name Abdul Rahim
Date of birth (1909-08-17)17 August 1909
Place of birth Hyderabad, Hyderabad State
Date of death 11 June 1963(1963-06-11) (aged 53)
Place of death India
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1943 Qamar Club
Teams managed
1950–1963 India

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Abdul Rahim (17 August 1909 – 11 June 1963), also known as Rahim Saab, was an Indian football coach and manager of the Indian national team from 1950 until his death in 1963 and a former player. He is regarded as the architect of modern Indian football.[1][2] Basically a teacher by profession, he was a good motivator and his tenure as a coach is regarded as a "golden age" of football in India. He led the Indian team to the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Football tournament making India the first ever Asian country to achieve this place.[3][4]

Career

Rahim was born on 17 August 1909 in Hyderabad, India. His career started as a coach and secretary of Hyderabad City Police from 1943 until 1963.[5][6] Later he was associated with the national team. During Rahim's tenure, the Indian football team enjoyed a great deal of success. Apart from winning the Asian games in 1951 and 1962, India also reached the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics which is still considered India's greatest ever achievement in football.[7]

He selected his son, Syed Shahid Hakim for the 1960 Summer Olympics tournament.[8]

Rahim's last success was at the Jakarta Asian games in 1962 where India went on to win gold, beating South Korea in the finals in front of a crowd of 100,000.

Death

Great Syed Abdul Rahim died from cancer on 11 June 1963. He was the inventor of modern Indian football. After he died, there was a steady decline in the fortunes of the Indian football team.

Influence

When Indian national coach Alberto Fernando had gone to a workshop in Brazil in 1964, he said:

What I learnt from Rahim in 1956 is being taught now in Brazil. Verily, he was a football prophet.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Basu, Jaydeep (17 August 2009). "Forgotten on birth centenary- Legendary coach rahim". Calcutta, India: telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "India's football heroes of Rome Olympics felicitated". in.news.yahoo.com. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Legends Of Indian Football". goal.com. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "1956 Olympics team members to return monetary grant". Chennai, India: hindu.com. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  5. ↑ novy kapadia (2000). "triumphs and disaster: the story of indian football, 1889-2000" (PDF). p. 19. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Paul Dimeo, James Mills (2001). Soccer in South Asia: empire, nation, diaspora. Antony Rowe Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 0-7146-8170-9. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Olympians want Padma Bhushan for Rahim". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/hakims-tribute-to-his-father
  9. ↑ "The wonder that was Rahim". The New Indian Express. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
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