Football in Hyderabad
THE History of Hyderabad Football
Article by : Nirmal Nath
Article link : <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kolkatafootball.com/indiafootball_news_2011/july12thpart_2011.html#hyderabad_football_history">http://www.kolkatafootball.com/indiafoo ... ll_history</a><!-- m -->
Football took off in the 1920s in Hyderabad, the city of the Nizams. Football there received the patronage of the royalty, especially of the Nawab of Tarband and the Maharajas of Kakinada and Rajamundhri. Hyderabad Football Association was formed in 1939. Its first President was late Gulam Mohammed. Late SM Hadi was the first secretary of HFA. Ahmed Mohiuddin was a great sports lover and he was instrumental in starting almost every sports association in Hyderabad.
In 1942, SM Hadi became the President of Hyderabad Football Association and the legendary coach, SA Rahim, its Secretary. He was hailed in that post until his death in June1963. Till 1958, Hyderabad and Andhra were regarded as separate bodies by the AIFF. From 1959, these two bodies came under one banner, Andhra Pradesh Football Association. To do this Rahim Saheb took major initiative.
The most famous team to emerge from this city was the black and yellow shirted Hyderabad City Police. They were known as the "City Afghans", in accordance with the name of the police force during the reign of the Nizam of Hyderabad and which was renamed as Hyderabad City Police after independence. The team had a string of successes in the pre-independent era.
One famous game, which brought HCP into limelight for the first time, was the Ashe Gold Cup final in Bengaluru in 1943. The City Afghans, won 2-1 against Royal Air Force, the team included England�s cricket and football international Denis Compton. The City Afghans trailed by a single goal for most part of the game, but rallied to a dramatic win with two late penalties by Norbert Andrew Fruvall.
Later Fruvall had moulded Hyderabad City Police into one of the best teams in the country. Under his captaincy, HCP won 1950 Durand Cup football, the first after Independence in 1947 (tournament was not held from 1941 to 1949), in a memorable final against Mohun Bagan. That was their first win in Durand Cup.
Playing with determination and receiving quite negligible rewards for their performances, the club was popular all over India and came to be identified as the team of the common man. In the period just after independence, HCP came to symbolize the philosophy and spirits of the age, the will to sacrifice, overcome odds. Their popularity transcended regional and religious identities.
From mid 40s to mid 60s, teams from Hyderabad either won or left lasting impressions in the tournaments they participated from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari and from Guwahati to Bombay. Apart from Hyderabad City Police, there were several outstanding teams from Hyderabad. The teams were 'A' Battery, Ordnance Depot, Railway Recreation Club (now Central Railway), Central Police Lines (B team of HCP), Road Transport Recreation Club, DBB Mills, L Motiram Club, Hyderabad Nationals, Hyderabad Sporting, Raiders Club, Hyderabad Athletic Club, Maisram Star, Bolaram Sporting, Secunderabad Blues, City College Old Boys, Hyderabad Rovers, Hyderabad Arsenal, Grass Hoppers, Hyderabad Heroes, Secunderabad Dynamos, Eleven Hunters, Andhra Sporting, Abbas Union, Hyderabad Telephones, All Saints Old Boys and Vehicle Sub Depot.
About 15 teams were there from Hyderabad in late '50s. They played in different tournaments throughout the country. Even in 1965 DCM Trophy final, Hyderabad City Police, the then Andhra Pradesh Police and its 'B' team Central Police Lines, fought with each other for the honour. Central Police Lines beat formidable Mohammedan Sporting Club in semi-final.
Yusuf Khan, Syed Naeemuddin, Sathyanarayan, Saleh (Jr), Shafeeq, represented APP, while Jafar. Rasool, Kaleemuddin, Pandhari, Saleh (Sr), and Md. Saleemullah were in the Central Police Lines team. APP won the final. In 1954 IFA Shield, almost all Hyderabad City Police players played for Hyderabad Sporting but lost in the final to Mohun Bagan.
During that period there were some very strong College teams, such as Osmania Unversity, Nizam College, City College, Science College and Saifabad Govt. Technical College. The college authorities used to encourage and motivate the footballers. These colleges helped to keep constant flow of good footballers to the clubs. Rahim Saheb was a graduate of Osmania University.
School and college teams were so strong at that time that Hyderabad City Police had to sweat for its victory against them in practice matches. In this regard, the name of late Md. Ghousuddin should be mentioned here. He was the coach and an influential person in the Selection Committee of Osmania University. Later on, he became Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Football Association after the death of Rahim Saheb. Being a close friend of Rahim Saheb, he learnt many finer points of training and coaching from him. His coaching was scientific and methodical.
Prof. V.M. Sham Raj of Engineering College of Osmania University, who also played for the state team in Santosh Trophy, once wrote in an article about his working experience with Md. Ghousuddin, "I was then student of Osmania University and eagerly looking forward for the selection in the football team. We were to take part in the All India Inter University Tournament to be held in Tirupathi in the month of November 1957".
It was very difficult to get chance in the University team. Ghousuddin Saheb was the Coach and manager of the team. After the initial selection trials I was selected in the 14 members team. The moves planned for a match, were first theoretically explained in the classroom, using black board and coloured chalk pieces. In those days video and other visual aids were not available. The same moves were put in practice many times till they were perfected. After the practice session in the morning, we used to have regular practice matches with other teams like the reputed Hyderabad City Police and E.M.E. Centre.
During the time of Ghousuddin Saheb, Osmania University was almost unbeatable in the All India Inter University Football in the later part of '50s." Osmania University won All India University Football in 1954, 1955 and 1959. They also won several All India level tournaments. Schools from Hyderabad won All India Inter School tournaments from 1955 to 1959 and subsequently on three more occasions.
The period from 1945 to 1965 was believed to be the Golden Era of Hyderabad Football. Incidentally, the period between 1951 and 1962 was supposed to be the Golden Period of Indian Football. During this time, the world started to recognise India as one of the football powers.
Interestingly, in this period Rahim Saheb was the national coach and except winning the gold medal in 1951 Asian Games, India's all achievements came under his training and coaching. It would not be irrelevant to say that as long as the 'Messaih of Indian Football' Rahim Saheb and Hyderabad Football were at the hail of national arena, India accomplished its dream to a great extent. India's record to achieve forth position in Olympic (1956 Melbourne Olympics) was still unmatched by any other Asian nation. For the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Rahim Saheb was selected as the coach and the team participated at Helsinki without much training. The thrashing of Indian team there by Yugoslavia by 10-1 made him ponder over the reasons for the defeat. He studied continental football closely and adopted new systems and formations.
Returning from Helsinki, he changed the formation of the state team from the well-known roving centre half to 'W-formation'. He worked hard on this formation, unmindful of criticism. The Indian team, with Rahim as its coach, beat Pakistan in the Quadrangular Tournament at Dacca in 1952 adopting the new formation.
The famous double Olympian (1956 & 1960) T Balaraman was apparently distressed at the state of football, both in Hyderabad and Kolkata. "The standard of football is deteriorating every day everywhere," he asserted. As student of Bolarum High School of Secunderabad, Rahim Saheb first spotted him. Balaraman's joy and tension, in replacing his role model and first guru Susaih (Jr) in the State team, knew no bounds. He became reminiscent, "Rahim Saheb took me home, showed the silver medal won by Andhra Pradesh in the Senior Nationals earlier and then told me, now it is in your hands to win the gold in the Santosh Trophy.
How many coaches could do that? He was God to me and to most of the footballers then. I was yet to see any coach showing such commitment, dedication, sincerity and objectivity in selections." He continued, "When Hyderabad had nine members in the 1956 Olympics team, that itself was a great tribute to the great coach."
Balaraman recalled vivid memories of his illustrious coach, "He was suffering from pleurisy. Nonetheless, he was always there at the ground. His pep talk, 'You are the privileged 11 chosen to play for the country. Give something back to the country, remember the soldiers who sacrifice so much. It is time we make the country proud by winning the gold. I never wanted anything from you. Today give me and the country that piece of gold.' And we did so, beating South Korea 2-1 in the final with P.K. Banerjee and Jarnail Singh being the scorers."
The Present State of AP Football. It was a shocking experience for anybody when one did not find any team from Andhra Pradesh even in the qualifying round of 2nd Division National League. There were teams from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, but not a single team from Hyderabad, what was once known to be the nursery of Indian Football. Even after 15 years of National Football League, presently rechristened as I League, not a single team represented the state. Football in AP had hit rock bottom and it was not hard to come across this decline. The game was badly affected by politics, groupism, ego clashes and sheer lack of administrative power and efficiency.
Hyderabad produced as many as 14 Olympians and many internationals. S.K. Moinuddin, Noor Mohammed and SK. Azizuddin represented 1952 Helsinki Olympics. There were eight Hyderabadis, such as Noor Mohammed, SK Azizuddin, SA Salam. T Balaraman, SA Latif, Peter Thangaraj, Ahmed Hussain and Zulfiqaruddin in the national team, which managed the fourth position in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Balaraman, SA Latif, Zulfiqaruddin, Yusuf Khan, SS Hakim, Syed Habibulla Hassan Hamed and Dharmalingam Kanan of Hyderabad represented the country at the Rome Olympics.
Azizuddin played for the country regularly from 1949 to 1958 and Noor Mohammed from 1950 to 1958. They played for the country in two Olympics and three Asian Games (in 51, 54 and 58). Aziz was the captain of India at Tokyo Asian Games in 1958. Hyderabad also produced international footballers like DMK Afzal (1962 Jakarta Asian Games), Syed Naeemuddin, Md.Habib, Md. Akbar, Sabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Md. Fareed Et al. We can only hope, if not hoping against hope, one day in near future Hyderabad Football will revive to its own glory. (excerpt from "History Indian Football" by Nirmal Nath)
Article by : Nirmal Nath
Article link : <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kolkatafootball.com/indiafootball_news_2011/july12thpart_2011.html#hyderabad_football_history">http://www.kolkatafootball.com/indiafoo ... ll_history</a><!-- m -->
Football took off in the 1920s in Hyderabad, the city of the Nizams. Football there received the patronage of the royalty, especially of the Nawab of Tarband and the Maharajas of Kakinada and Rajamundhri. Hyderabad Football Association was formed in 1939. Its first President was late Gulam Mohammed. Late SM Hadi was the first secretary of HFA. Ahmed Mohiuddin was a great sports lover and he was instrumental in starting almost every sports association in Hyderabad.
In 1942, SM Hadi became the President of Hyderabad Football Association and the legendary coach, SA Rahim, its Secretary. He was hailed in that post until his death in June1963. Till 1958, Hyderabad and Andhra were regarded as separate bodies by the AIFF. From 1959, these two bodies came under one banner, Andhra Pradesh Football Association. To do this Rahim Saheb took major initiative.
The most famous team to emerge from this city was the black and yellow shirted Hyderabad City Police. They were known as the "City Afghans", in accordance with the name of the police force during the reign of the Nizam of Hyderabad and which was renamed as Hyderabad City Police after independence. The team had a string of successes in the pre-independent era.
One famous game, which brought HCP into limelight for the first time, was the Ashe Gold Cup final in Bengaluru in 1943. The City Afghans, won 2-1 against Royal Air Force, the team included England�s cricket and football international Denis Compton. The City Afghans trailed by a single goal for most part of the game, but rallied to a dramatic win with two late penalties by Norbert Andrew Fruvall.
Later Fruvall had moulded Hyderabad City Police into one of the best teams in the country. Under his captaincy, HCP won 1950 Durand Cup football, the first after Independence in 1947 (tournament was not held from 1941 to 1949), in a memorable final against Mohun Bagan. That was their first win in Durand Cup.
Playing with determination and receiving quite negligible rewards for their performances, the club was popular all over India and came to be identified as the team of the common man. In the period just after independence, HCP came to symbolize the philosophy and spirits of the age, the will to sacrifice, overcome odds. Their popularity transcended regional and religious identities.
From mid 40s to mid 60s, teams from Hyderabad either won or left lasting impressions in the tournaments they participated from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari and from Guwahati to Bombay. Apart from Hyderabad City Police, there were several outstanding teams from Hyderabad. The teams were 'A' Battery, Ordnance Depot, Railway Recreation Club (now Central Railway), Central Police Lines (B team of HCP), Road Transport Recreation Club, DBB Mills, L Motiram Club, Hyderabad Nationals, Hyderabad Sporting, Raiders Club, Hyderabad Athletic Club, Maisram Star, Bolaram Sporting, Secunderabad Blues, City College Old Boys, Hyderabad Rovers, Hyderabad Arsenal, Grass Hoppers, Hyderabad Heroes, Secunderabad Dynamos, Eleven Hunters, Andhra Sporting, Abbas Union, Hyderabad Telephones, All Saints Old Boys and Vehicle Sub Depot.
About 15 teams were there from Hyderabad in late '50s. They played in different tournaments throughout the country. Even in 1965 DCM Trophy final, Hyderabad City Police, the then Andhra Pradesh Police and its 'B' team Central Police Lines, fought with each other for the honour. Central Police Lines beat formidable Mohammedan Sporting Club in semi-final.
Yusuf Khan, Syed Naeemuddin, Sathyanarayan, Saleh (Jr), Shafeeq, represented APP, while Jafar. Rasool, Kaleemuddin, Pandhari, Saleh (Sr), and Md. Saleemullah were in the Central Police Lines team. APP won the final. In 1954 IFA Shield, almost all Hyderabad City Police players played for Hyderabad Sporting but lost in the final to Mohun Bagan.
During that period there were some very strong College teams, such as Osmania Unversity, Nizam College, City College, Science College and Saifabad Govt. Technical College. The college authorities used to encourage and motivate the footballers. These colleges helped to keep constant flow of good footballers to the clubs. Rahim Saheb was a graduate of Osmania University.
School and college teams were so strong at that time that Hyderabad City Police had to sweat for its victory against them in practice matches. In this regard, the name of late Md. Ghousuddin should be mentioned here. He was the coach and an influential person in the Selection Committee of Osmania University. Later on, he became Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Football Association after the death of Rahim Saheb. Being a close friend of Rahim Saheb, he learnt many finer points of training and coaching from him. His coaching was scientific and methodical.
Prof. V.M. Sham Raj of Engineering College of Osmania University, who also played for the state team in Santosh Trophy, once wrote in an article about his working experience with Md. Ghousuddin, "I was then student of Osmania University and eagerly looking forward for the selection in the football team. We were to take part in the All India Inter University Tournament to be held in Tirupathi in the month of November 1957".
It was very difficult to get chance in the University team. Ghousuddin Saheb was the Coach and manager of the team. After the initial selection trials I was selected in the 14 members team. The moves planned for a match, were first theoretically explained in the classroom, using black board and coloured chalk pieces. In those days video and other visual aids were not available. The same moves were put in practice many times till they were perfected. After the practice session in the morning, we used to have regular practice matches with other teams like the reputed Hyderabad City Police and E.M.E. Centre.
During the time of Ghousuddin Saheb, Osmania University was almost unbeatable in the All India Inter University Football in the later part of '50s." Osmania University won All India University Football in 1954, 1955 and 1959. They also won several All India level tournaments. Schools from Hyderabad won All India Inter School tournaments from 1955 to 1959 and subsequently on three more occasions.
The period from 1945 to 1965 was believed to be the Golden Era of Hyderabad Football. Incidentally, the period between 1951 and 1962 was supposed to be the Golden Period of Indian Football. During this time, the world started to recognise India as one of the football powers.
Interestingly, in this period Rahim Saheb was the national coach and except winning the gold medal in 1951 Asian Games, India's all achievements came under his training and coaching. It would not be irrelevant to say that as long as the 'Messaih of Indian Football' Rahim Saheb and Hyderabad Football were at the hail of national arena, India accomplished its dream to a great extent. India's record to achieve forth position in Olympic (1956 Melbourne Olympics) was still unmatched by any other Asian nation. For the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Rahim Saheb was selected as the coach and the team participated at Helsinki without much training. The thrashing of Indian team there by Yugoslavia by 10-1 made him ponder over the reasons for the defeat. He studied continental football closely and adopted new systems and formations.
Returning from Helsinki, he changed the formation of the state team from the well-known roving centre half to 'W-formation'. He worked hard on this formation, unmindful of criticism. The Indian team, with Rahim as its coach, beat Pakistan in the Quadrangular Tournament at Dacca in 1952 adopting the new formation.
The famous double Olympian (1956 & 1960) T Balaraman was apparently distressed at the state of football, both in Hyderabad and Kolkata. "The standard of football is deteriorating every day everywhere," he asserted. As student of Bolarum High School of Secunderabad, Rahim Saheb first spotted him. Balaraman's joy and tension, in replacing his role model and first guru Susaih (Jr) in the State team, knew no bounds. He became reminiscent, "Rahim Saheb took me home, showed the silver medal won by Andhra Pradesh in the Senior Nationals earlier and then told me, now it is in your hands to win the gold in the Santosh Trophy.
How many coaches could do that? He was God to me and to most of the footballers then. I was yet to see any coach showing such commitment, dedication, sincerity and objectivity in selections." He continued, "When Hyderabad had nine members in the 1956 Olympics team, that itself was a great tribute to the great coach."
Balaraman recalled vivid memories of his illustrious coach, "He was suffering from pleurisy. Nonetheless, he was always there at the ground. His pep talk, 'You are the privileged 11 chosen to play for the country. Give something back to the country, remember the soldiers who sacrifice so much. It is time we make the country proud by winning the gold. I never wanted anything from you. Today give me and the country that piece of gold.' And we did so, beating South Korea 2-1 in the final with P.K. Banerjee and Jarnail Singh being the scorers."
The Present State of AP Football. It was a shocking experience for anybody when one did not find any team from Andhra Pradesh even in the qualifying round of 2nd Division National League. There were teams from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, but not a single team from Hyderabad, what was once known to be the nursery of Indian Football. Even after 15 years of National Football League, presently rechristened as I League, not a single team represented the state. Football in AP had hit rock bottom and it was not hard to come across this decline. The game was badly affected by politics, groupism, ego clashes and sheer lack of administrative power and efficiency.
Hyderabad produced as many as 14 Olympians and many internationals. S.K. Moinuddin, Noor Mohammed and SK. Azizuddin represented 1952 Helsinki Olympics. There were eight Hyderabadis, such as Noor Mohammed, SK Azizuddin, SA Salam. T Balaraman, SA Latif, Peter Thangaraj, Ahmed Hussain and Zulfiqaruddin in the national team, which managed the fourth position in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Balaraman, SA Latif, Zulfiqaruddin, Yusuf Khan, SS Hakim, Syed Habibulla Hassan Hamed and Dharmalingam Kanan of Hyderabad represented the country at the Rome Olympics.
Azizuddin played for the country regularly from 1949 to 1958 and Noor Mohammed from 1950 to 1958. They played for the country in two Olympics and three Asian Games (in 51, 54 and 58). Aziz was the captain of India at Tokyo Asian Games in 1958. Hyderabad also produced international footballers like DMK Afzal (1962 Jakarta Asian Games), Syed Naeemuddin, Md.Habib, Md. Akbar, Sabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Md. Fareed Et al. We can only hope, if not hoping against hope, one day in near future Hyderabad Football will revive to its own glory. (excerpt from "History Indian Football" by Nirmal Nath)
Comments
apart from this, HCP... I heard there is one more academy in late 50's which is the hub for young footballers.. <!-- s:bow-yellow: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/yellow.gif" alt=":bow-yellow:" title="Yellow" /><!-- s:bow-yellow: -->
I am just wondering to hear abut Kakinada and Rajahmundry as football playing places... I am from Rajahmundry... Even though I use to watch football, I never played football till 9th std and just played for a week in 10th class.. I still remember, for building a small team itself, I struggled a lot.. <!-- s:confusion-seeingstars: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/confusion/seeingstars.gif" alt=":confusion-seeingstars:" title="Seeing Stars" /><!-- s:confusion-seeingstars: -->
hi.. do u know any budding players from Andhra..
<br><div><br></div><div>We should probably have a friendly for the India national football team in Hyderabad. Also have a Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal match there. Hopefully both matches get a crowd and an investor gets interested.</div>
A vociferous demand was made here on Friday for providing medical assistance and hospital expenses free of cost to all the five surviving football Olympians from Hyderabad.
Based in Kolkata, and a living legend who swore by East Bengal, the frail-looking 80 plus Balaram, as he is more popularly known, minced no words while castigating successive governments for their gross neglect of those iconic figures, who brought Olympic and Asian glory to the country with their exuberance that ranked alongside the best contemporary talent.
There was emotion, anger and sorrow when he went down memory lane while recalling the halcyon days, which till date remain an unparalleled folklore, particularly the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, which continue to be the highpoints of Indian football.