Murad Bakhsh (footballer)

Murad Bakhsh
Bakhsh in the 1960s
Personal information
Full name Murad Bakhsh Makwa
Date of birth 1951
Place of birth Lyari, Pakistan
Date of death (aged 59)
Place of death Lyari, Pakistan
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Karachi Port Trust
PPWD
KMC
Habib Bank
1960–1963 Dhaka Wanderers
1962 Victoria SC
1978–1991 Sharjah Army
International career
1963–1969 Pakistan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Murad Bakhsh Makwa (1951 – 11 January 2011) was a Pakistani footballer who played as a defender.[1]

Club career

Nicknamed as Pencil due to his lanky physique, Bakhsh represented the Karachi Port Trust, Pakistan Public Works Department, Karachi Municipal Corporation and Habib Bank football teams while also playing for clubs in Dhaka in East Pakistan.[2][3]

Bakhsh sitting at the far right with Dhaka Wanderers Club at the Pakistan President's Gold Cup in Karachi in 1961

In 1960, Dhaka Wanderers brought Bakhsh in, winning their seventh First Division League title. In 1963, the club finished as runner-up of the Aga Khan Gold Cup after defeating Police AC, Nepal XI, Pakistan Western Railway and Indonesia XI in the semi-final. In the final, held on 29 October 1963, Wanderers lost 1–2 to Pakistan Railways, with Bakhsh included in the starting eleven of the game.[4]

In 1962, Bakhsh represented eventual winners, Victoria SC, at the Aga Khan Gold Cup in Dhaka.[5]

In 1978, he left for the United Arab Emirates and represented the Sharjah Army football team for 13 years.[2]

International career

Bakhsh presenting the team to chief guests before a match against FC Kairat at the KMC Stadium, 1968

Bakhsh was part of the Pakistan national football team in the 1960s.[2] In 1963, he played against Iran at the 1964 Summer Olympics qualification.[6][7] During the 1965 RCD Cup, he was praised for his defensive abilities as left fullback, preventing several goals in the eventual 1–3 defeat against Turkey.[8] In 1967, he featured in the 1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification in Burma.[9] In 1968, he captained the national team during test matches against FC Kairat from the Soviet Union. The next year he was again appointed as captain when the national side toured the Soviet Union for unofficial test matches against club sides.[10]

Coaching career

Bakhsh served as head coach of the Pakistan Blues team at the 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup.[9]

Death

Bakhsh died after a prolonged illness on 11 January 2011. Suffering from cancer for the past several years, he was living in precarious conditions in Lyari, forcing his lone son to leave his football career in favour of becoming a motor mechanic. He left behind his son and a daughter.[2] A-minute silence was observed before a regional league football match, three hours after his death.[11][12]

Honours

Dhaka Wanderers

Victoria SC

References

  1. ^ "Editorial | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  2. ^ a b c d "Former footballer Murad Bakhsh passes away". DAWN.COM. 2011-01-11. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  3. ^ "The years of dreams | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  4. ^ Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
  5. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 October 1962". p. 12. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Statistics: Iran [ Team Melli]". www.teammelli.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  7. ^ "Statistics: Iran [ Team Melli]". www.teammelli.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  8. ^ Tercüman Newspaper, 22.07.1965, p. 8
  9. ^ a b Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  10. ^ "روزنامہ دنیا :- کھیلوں کی دنیا:-انٹرنیشنل فٹبالر عبدالجبار کراچی میں انتقال کرگئے". Roznama Dunya: روزنامہ دنیا :-. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  11. ^ Agencies (2011-01-11). "Singolane overwhelm Winder 3-1 in Lyari League". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  12. ^ "Idrees claims hat-trick". DAWN.COM. 2011-01-11. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
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