Hyderabad: Legendary Hyderabad footballer and 1962 Asian Games gold medallist from the city DMK Afzal passed away on Wednesday, May 7. He had represented Hyderabad Sporting Club in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Police Football team.
A cherished figure in Indian Football history, his funeral will be held tomorrow at the Choti Masjid, Muradnagar in Hyderabad. DMK Afzal was 81 years old. He was coached by Syed Abdul Rahim, another legendary footballer and coach from the city.
Afzal was from an era in Hyderabad when football was very much in vogue and he was a contemporary of some of the best footballers from India like Chuni Goswami, PK Banerjee and Peter Thangaraj. He also played for East Bengal in Kolkata.
Remembering Syed Abdul Rahim, Hyderabad’s legendary football coach
Syed Abdul Rahim had led the country’s football team to a gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, and to incredible heights in the sport. The win at Jakarta was a mighty achievement as tension was built after an Indian diplomat publicly criticised the decision not to allow Israel and Taiwan to play in the competition.
It angered the people of Indonesia, leading to public protests against the Indian team. All of this history of Hyderabad is today unfortunately forgotten as football is not a venerated sport like cricket.
