Abdul Ghafoor (3 August 1938 – 7 September 2012), known by his nickname Majna, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[1][2] Ghafoor also captained the Pakistan national football team during the 1974 Asian Games. He was nicknamed the Pakistani Pelé and Black Pearl of Pakistan, for his resemblance to the Brazilian football legend and his playing abilities, and is regarded as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history.[3][4]
Early life
Ghafoor was born in Saifi Lane, Baghdadi, a neighbourhood of Lyari in Karachi in British India on 3 August 1938.[5] Belonging to the Sheedi community, his grandparents reportedly migrated from Africa and settled in Saifi Lane.[6] Ghafoor was fond of football since early age, and often ran away during classes to nearby ground to join boys playing football. Ghafoor claimed that he had to sell his school bags in order to buy sports shoes.[6] He was popularly known by his nickname Majna.[3][6]
Ghafoor mostly played in the midfield, but he was tried in all other positions too except for goalkeeper.[7]
He began his career in 1957, representing his local side Saifi Sports in Lyari. He played in the 1958 All-Pakistan President's Cup for the Sindh Government Press. He also led Karachi Kickers to victory in the Aga Khan Gold Cup the same year.
With the former he won the Dhaka League three times and twice with Victoria, as well as winning the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1962.
Dhaka Wanderers
Ghafoor sitting at the far left with 1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup runners-up Dhaka Wanderers Club
In 1963, Dhaka Wanderers formed a strong team to participate in the Aga Khan Gold Cup, acquiring Ghafoor along with national teammates Ghulam Abbas Baloch, Muhammad Umer, Abdullah Rahi, Yusuf Jr., and Yusuf Sr. from defending champions Victoria, who had withdrawn from the tournament.
In 1971, Ghafoor joined Karachi Port Trust as a player and then became coach of the club before retiring from the team via golden handshake in 2000.[5]
International career
Abdul Ghafoor Majna shakes hands with the Chinese chief guest before a match
Ghafoor made his national team debut in 1959 after receiving a call-up from coach John McBride, for a friendly tour in Burma and Indo-China. He subsequently played in December the same year at the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification held in India. He also was the only Pakistani player to feature in an Asian XI side in 1960.[5]
Ghafoor was also part of the Pakistan team under the captainship of Muhammad Umer that played the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, where Pakistan reached the final but lost narrowly to Indonesia by 1–2.[12]
In 1964, Abdul Ghafoor toured China with the national team and then was made vice-captain for a friendly tour in Ceylon in 1965 and the 1965 RCD Cup in Iran.
In 1967, Abdul Ghafoor announced his retirement from the national team after he and numerous footballers from Karachi had a falling out with then Pakistan Football Federation general secretary, Major Malik Muhammad Hussain.[5] However, in 1974, Ghafoor came out of retirement on the special request of then Pakistan Football Federation president Abdul Sattar Gabol, to play one last for Pakistan in the 1974 Asian Games.[13][14]
"There was not a single player close to his quality in the subcontinent. He was such a quality player that we felt comfortable with the knowledge that he was playing for our side. Had he played in Europe, he would've been as famous as Pelé."
Ghafoor was nicknamed the Pakistani Pelé during his playing days for his resemblance to the Brazilian football legend and his playing abilities. According to Ghafoor's son, when Pelé in Brazil heard about his look-alike in Pakistan, he expressed his desire to meet Ghafoor although that didn't happen.[3][7] During his time in Dhaka, Ghafoor also received several offers to play for clubs in the Soviet Union and China, but he turned them down and preferred to play in his country.[3]
When playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club in Dhaka, Ghafoor met his wife Sabiha.[10] His wife's parents were originally from Allahabad in India, and the couple married after her father, who was a government servant, served as driver for a minister in Dhaka and was impressed by Ghafoor during football matches and began admiring him.[6][15] The couple then later lived in Lyari, Karachi.[10]
Ghafoor worked for Karachi Port Trust in his later years until his retirement.[7] He natively spoke the Balochi language along with Urdu.[16] After his retirement he was involved with the sport visiting football grounds and spending his time at his former team Saifi Club, coaching younger players.[6]
In May 2006, it was reported that Ghafoor had loss of hearing and nearly impaired vision. During his interview with Dawn before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ghafoor expressed his support for Brazil, and demanded the freedom of his jailed son Abdul Ghani, footballer and employee of Habib Bank who was arrested in early 2004 from his home in Karachi in a crackdown against extremists, after he was accused of planning terrorist acts.[17][16] This also resulted in Ghafoor getting paralyzed due to the shock after local security authorities raided the house and detained his son. Ghani was later released from prison.[6]
In 2006, the Bangladesh Football Federation also contacted Ghafoor again to suggest some players from Pakistan to play in their league. However, the letter never reached Ghafoor, and was sent to the Pakistan Football Federation as the Bangladesh football authorities believed that a player such as Ghafoor would be running the affairs of football in the country. The Pakistan Football Federation sent its own team of boys to Bangladesh instead of forwarding the letter to Ghafoor.[3][7]
Ghafoor's sons also played football. His son Abdul Ghani played for Habib Bank, and his other son Abdul Waheed played for Pakistan Army FC. His nephews Allah Bakhsh played for PIA and Muhammad Shafi played for Habib Bank, while his brother-in-law Ishtiaq Ahmed played as goalkeeper for Habib Bank.
Death
Ghafoor died in Lyari, Karachi on 7 September 2012 after suffering from a paralysis attack four years prior.[5][18] He was survived by his wife, his two sons and three daughters.[19][20] He spent his last years in abject poverty.[4] Although Faisal Saleh Hayat, the President of the Pakistan Football Federation released a statement after Ghafoor's death, the federation came under criticism from the Pakistani media about its lack of support for Ghafoor in his five years of illness.[3]
Career statistics
International goals
Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.
List of international goals scored by Abdul Ghafoor
^ abDulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN978-984-8218-31-0.
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