Mohammedan SC’s triumph should not be a flash in the pan!

In football, like all other aspects of life, there are glory days, mundane periods plus moments when everything seems to be at the edge of a precipice.

Mohammedan Sporting Club, the current Bangladesh Premier League champions, have experienced all the changes/twists of fortune and, perhaps more.

The club, which still has to go around looking for practice grounds, is making a comeback, thanks to a set of determined players and former players working as guiding lights.

Unlike other clubs, which have a totally professional and, to an extent, impersonal relation with the manager, for Mohammedan, the coach is Alfaz Ahmed, once a Mohammedan superstar, a former national team stalwart and, currently, the person behind the resurgence.

In an age when top flight football is mostly about money, Mohammedan’s ascendancy to the peak from the abyss is not just about funds but also a tale of undying love for the club.

WHEN MOHAMMEDAN WERE KINGS, BANGLADESH WAS A FOOTBALLING POWERHOUSE

That the club, which was once a force to reckon with within the Asian circle, would slip into such a miserable state is often hard to believe but Mohammedan’s downward slide also reflected the dismal state of Bangladesh’s football in general.

Thankfully, football is now rejuvenated with a bevy of overseas born Bangladeshi expatriates coming back to play for the country.

The inclusion of Hamza Choudhury, the former Leicester City and currently Sheffield United player, has had a magical impact on the national side’s performance.

The Asian Cup qualifier against India displayed the new-found confidence of the national side with more foreign based players slated to hit the field against the home match against Singapore on Jun 10.

Overall, there’s a buzz around the game and just when football is suddenly the topic of interest, Mohammedan has come back with a vengeance.

I think the emergence of the club from the ashes and the rejuvenated national team at about the same time cannot be termed a mere coincidence.

At least, for us, who have seen the glory days of Bangladesh football in the late 70s and 80s, Mohammedan SC winning accolades abroad and the national side proving to be a tough opponent, cemented a fabulous footballing canvas.

In the 80s, any regional football competition meant Bangladesh and India in either the finals or, at least, the semi finals.

In the same manner, in the late 80s, Mohammedan, under Iranian coach Nasser Hejazi, became, arguably, the top club outfit in the region and beyond.

For many modern day football enthusiasts, the name Nasser Hejazi won’t ring any bells at all but no discussion about Mohammedan is complete without talking at length about this footballing icon.

Nicknamed the Eagle of Asia, Hejazi was goalkeeper of Iran national team in the 1960s and 1970s.

He won the AFC Asian Cup on two occasions in 1972 and 1976, Asian Games title once, competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics, 1976 Montreal Olympics and, most importantly, the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

In that World Cup, held in Argentina, Iran, the lone representation from Asia, lost two matches, against Peru and eventual runners up, Netherlands, and came back home with a 1-1 draw against Scotland.

In the mid-80s, as Bangladesh was seeing a steady flow of talents in the game, the local league was still unprofessional with the money factor a fraction of what is now spent by mid level clubs.

Only leading clubs like Mohammedan and Abahani could afford to hire foreign players.

As far as memory serves, in the early 80s, Ibrahim, a Ghanaian, was the first African to play in the local league for Mohammedan.

Pakir Ali and Premlal, both Sri Lankan nationals, peddled their craft for Abahani.

Then came the injection of international level talent, which took the level of local football to a completely new level.

Locked in a protracted war, both Iran and Iraq saw their domestic leagues suspended which that turned out to be a boon for Bangladesh football.

Mohammedan hired Hejazi, who, at the twilight of his career, came as player cum coach.

In a match against Abahani in 1987, he took the field for half an hour but later became Mohammedan’s full time coach.

Hejazi used his connections to bring spectacularly gifted players like Naljegar, Vijen Taheri and Borhanzade.

Seeing the new additions in the camp of the arch rival, Abahani could not sit idle either and roped Iraqi national players, Samir Shaker and Karim Mohammed Allawi.

Shaker was a top central defender for the Iraqi national side, representing his country in the 1986 World Cup.

A temperamental player, Shaker, got a one year suspension when he spat on the referee during a World Cup match against Belgium.

Interestingly, Samir Shaker also coached the Bangladesh national side, which won the first SAFF Games Gold in Kathmandu in 1999 and, in the final against hosts Nepal, it was Alfaz Ahmed, the current coach of Mohammedan, who scored the winner.

Unsurprisingly, featuring top players from Iran and Iraq on both sides, the 1987 league title final turned out to be a battle royale.

With football craze reaching a crescendo, other African players, Ameka, Chibuza from Nigeria added the physical dimension to the games.

Mohammedan, buoyed by the league title, went to the 1988-89 AFC Club Cup qualifiers pitted against Iranian champion Pirouzi (now Persepolis).

In the same group were Sri Lankan side Sanders who drew with Mohammedan but conceded 5 goals against Pirouzi.

Naturally, the odds were in favour of the Iranian side but Mohammedan achieved the impossible, winning 2-1.

In the final round of the AFC Club Cup, placed in Group B, Mohammedan beat North Korean champions April 25, 1-0, lost to Saudi champions Al-Ittefaq by 3-1, Malaysian champions Pahang by 2-1 and drew 2-2 with Al-Sadd, the Qatari club, which eventually became the champions.

In the following AFC meet, for 1990-91, the club beat Indian champions Salgaokar in the first round along with Radiant Club of Maldives to move to the second stage where they drew all three matches, nil all with North Korean side, Apr 25, 1-1 with Thai champions Bangkok Bank and 1-1 with Iranian champions Esteghlal.

Mohammedan missed out moving to the final round because of goal difference, as Esteghlal and Bangkok Bank progressed.

Note the most important thing: on both occasions, Mohammedan drew with the ultimate champions.

MOHAMMEDAN’S AFC PARTICIPATION ESSENTIAL

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since the early 90s and, at one point, the club was languishing at the bottom of the local league with people wistfully seeking solace in the past.

Well, as the saying goes, it’s always darkest before dawn, and since Mohammedan has come out of a rut in a reborn Bangladesh, all efforts need to be made to ensure the club manages to play the AFC Cup tournament.

Reportedly, the club’s administrative complexities are major impediments to getting the AFC licence.

This is where the federation can step in along with the ministry of sports.

Since the footballing giant has come back after a long ailment, it should not be allowed to be plagued by issues that can be settled with concerted measures.

When asked why he did not leave Mohammedan for higher wages offered by other clubs, the team’s striker and captain, Malian player, Soulemane Diyabate, said: “There’s something much more important than money and that’s love and respect.”

Mohammedan players who took the team to country, regional and Asian glory, are all engaged in reviving the club.

With a little support from the government, it will become the giant that it was a long time ago.

At least, that is the prayer from all supporters of Abahani, their arch-rivals.

We want the craze of the 80s back – the country coming to a standstill on the day of the Abahani-Mohammedan match, police on high alert, crackers exploding, flags flying on rooftops, braggadocio of fans and commentators going on the linguistic overdrive.

We want to relive the electrifying moment as top players from BPL clubs, supported by overseas based talent, unite to take the field as Bangladesh.

[Towheed Feroze is a former journalist]