Tag Archives: Indian Muslim Footballer

Kerala Blasters pay Rs 25 Lakhs transfer fee to get Danish Farooq early

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JAMMU & KASHMIR:

Danish Farooq Kerala Blasters ISL 2022-23 Indian Super Legaue contract details transfer fee salary revealed
(Courtesy : ISL Media)

The midfielder played a crucial part in Simon Grayson’s BFC.

Bengaluru FC midfielder Danish Farooq Bhat has signed a 3.5-year deal with Kerala Blasters, Khel Now can confirm. “Earlier, the player agreed to sign a three-year pre-contract with Kerala Blasters, but injury concerns forced the club to cash out Danish Farooq before his contract expired with Bengaluru FC,” a source close to the development told Khel Now.

The source added, “Kerala Blasters have paid approximately 25 lakhs transfer fee to Bengaluru FC to obtain his service. Danish will earn approximately 90 Lakhs* per year as his salary.”

About the Player

Danish Farooq was born on May 9, 1996, in Jammu & Kashmir. He started his playing career at a very young age for a local team called Chinar Valley. At the age of 13, Danish joined the J&K Bank Football Academy where he perfected his game as a youngster. Danish had major success with this club as he went on to win 12 league titles for them.

In 2015, Danish signed a professional contract with Lonestar Kashmir and played for them in the 2015-16 I-League 2nd division. He helped his team to reach the final round, however, the team fell short and failed to qualify for the I-League.

Danish Farooq rose to fame in the latter half of 2016 when he signed for Real Kashmir. He helped the Snow Leopards to secure the championship of the 2017-18 I-League 2nd division and was also the joint top-scorer of the team with four goals. He helped his team to qualify for the I-League during his tenure.

In 2021, Danish Farooq made a big step in his career by joining Bengaluru FC as a free agent. He had instant success with the Blues and soon became a key player in their midfield. Danish has scored four goals and assisted twice for the Blues in the ISL.

Danish Farooq is a versatile player who can handle multiple positions on the ground. He can be deployed as a midfielder and winger at the same time. His versatility will certainly help Kerala Blasters who wished to add more depth to the squad.

Kerala Blasters in ISL 2022-23

Kerala Blasters are having a dream run under Serbian head coach Ivan Vukamanovic. The club was able to continue the heroics from the previous season and are currently doing very well. They’re currently a team who has a higher probability of qualifying for the playoffs. Even with so many outgoings before the start of the season, KBFC managed to top the game on several occasions.

This season has witnessed the rise of Nihal Sudeesh, Bryce Miranda, and Saurav Mandal among the Indian players. Their forward Dimitrios Diamantakos is currently in top form as he continues to score screamers for the side. The 2022-23 ISL season also witnessed the transfer of Puitea to ATK Mohun Bagan for an undisclosed transfer fee.

source: http://www.khelnow.com / Khel Now / Home> ISL – Indian Super League / by Sattyik Sarkar / January 31st, 2023

Intelligence and education of Hyderabad’s Hakim helped raise level of Indian football

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA:

 The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Dhyan Chand Award, 2017 to Shri Syed Shahid Hakim for Football, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2017. Photo: Wikipedia

The name of Syed Shahid Hakim is familiar to the entire football fraternity of India. He was one of the most accomplished personalities who graced Hyderabad and Indian football as a player, referee and coach. Indeed it would not be wrong to say that there were few people in India who could match his knowledge and acumen about the different aspects of football. Besides being a well known personality in football, he also served as an officer in the Indian Air Force.

Being one of the sons of the great coach S.A. Rahim, he grew up in a football related environment. Hakim belonged to that period when Hyderabad was at the zenith of Indian football. He played with the illustrious players of India. Among his teammates were the famous goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj, D. Kannan, S.A. Latif, Yousuf Khan, S. Narayanan, H H Hamed and others. All these players were from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

As a player, Hakim’s talent bloomed at an early age. He was at his peak in the late 1950s. He was a member of the Hyderabad state team which won the Santosh Trophy in 1957. Due to his prodigious talent and his rising status in Indian football, he was selected to represent India in the Pre-Olympic tournaments in Jakarta, Singapore and Malaysia.

It was not a surprise when he was also selected in the Indian team for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. That was the last time that India qualified for the Olympic Games. Although India narrowly failed to enter the knockout stage of the tournament, the Games were a great learning opportunity for Hakim.

The close interaction that Hakim had with the world’s best players and coaches gave his keen intelligence some valuable insights into the tactics and training of European and South American players. These he later put into use when guiding his own trainees. This is where his education and learning proved to be a big asset. Having studied at All Saints HS, Nizam College and then Osmania University, his level of education was above many other footballers. This enabled him to interact easily with foreigners and learn from everything that he observed.

Later, after he joined the Indian Air Force, he played for the defence services team and went on to be appointed captain of the All India Services team.

After retiring from the game as a player, he continued to serve Indian football in various capacities. He became a well known referee who was among the best in India. Starting from 1970 he continued to serve as a referee for many years. In 1974 he was selected to be a member of the FIFA Referees panel which was a great honour for an Indian referee.

Thereafter, he officiated in 33 international matches and it is a record which is still not broken. No other Indian referee has officiated in 33 international matches.

But that was not the end of his distinguished career. Thereafter, Hakim became a reputed coach and coached the Indian team from 1980 to 1982 for the Merdeka Cup and Delhi Asian Games along with other coaches.

When he was 80, he fell prey to the rampaging COVID pandemic but recovered. However, despite winning the battle against the dreaded virus, his life did not last long thereafter. He suffered two strokes in rapid succession and passed away in Gulbarga where he had been admitted to a hospital in August 2021. His death left a void in Indian football which will perhaps never be fulfilled.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / December 09th, 2022

Football magician Mohammed Salim captured hearts of people in Scotland

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Metiaburj, BENGAL Presidency / Calcutta, WEST BENGAL:

 Mohammed Salim, the first Indian footballer to play for a foreign club. In this photograph from 1936, due to playing in bare feet, he is having them bandaged by Jimmy McMenemy the Celtic FC trainer. Photo: Wikipedia

Who was the first Indian footballer to play for a European football club? Very few people in India will be able to answer this question correctly.

He was a Kolkata-based football player Mohammed Salim who was selected by the well-known Celtic Football Club in Scotland in 1936. He carved out a brief but glorious career before returning to his hometown.

An interesting story was once told by his son Rashid Ahmed. After his father had grown old, the son decided to see if the famous Celtic Club of Scotland still remembered his father. He wrote to Celtic Club introducing himself as the son of their former player Mohammed Salim and stated that his father was facing financial difficulty in his old age.

Rashid Ahmed was not really expecting any reply from the club authorities after so many years. He had simply taken a chance. However, he got the biggest surprise of his life when the Celtic football club replied with a letter of sympathy and a bank draft of 100 pounds enclosed.

“I really had no need for the money. It was just a ploy to find out if Mohammed Salim was still alive in their memory. To my amazement, I received a letter from the club. Inside was a bank draft for £100. I was delighted, not because I received the money but because my father still he had a place of pride in Celtic. I have not encashed the draft and will preserve it till I die. I just want my father’s name to be remembered as the first Indian footballer to play abroad,” Rashid told the media.

The reason why Salim returned to India was that he was uncomfortable with the food and the climate of Scotland. He had been born and brought up in Kolkata and therefore was not used to the foreign conditions. Celtic Club pleaded with him to remain in Scotland and even offered to organise a charity match on his behalf. Salim refused and asked that the money be donated to local orphans.

Thereafter German clubs also became interested in retaining Salim. He was offered a professional contract to play in Germany. But he was resolute that he would return to India. So he traveled back to India to rejoin Mohammedan Sporting Club for the beginning of the 1937 Calcutta Football League.

To trace his life back to the starting point, he was born to a middle-class family in Metiaburj in Bengal in 1904. He was studying to be a chemist but football was his first love. His skills were soon spotted by the Mohammedan Sporting club and he was recruited in 1927.

After a brief stint with other clubs, Salim rejoined Mohammedan Sporting in 1934 and ensured that it reached the very top. It was the golden period of this club with Salim spearheading the attacks. He won thousands of hearts with his ball control, dribbling and accurate passes.

A Chinese football official Dr. Chi Chao Yung who saw Salim and his teammates in action said: “Allow me to congratulate the members of the Indian team for their wonderful display. In the course of the game, they showed perfect understanding and exceptional speed. The forwards, Salim, Rahim, Bhattacharjee and Abbas were outstanding in their game.”

Soon after this, Salim departed for Scotland to try his luck there. The well-known Scottish manager Willie Mayley was surprised at the skills that Salim displayed and took him in the Celtic side. On 28 August 1936, he helped Celtic win 7–1 against Galston. The Scottish Daily Express carried the headline: “Indian Juggler – A New Style”, along with a description of Salim that read: “Ten twinkling toes of Salim, Celtic FC’s player from India, hypnotised the crowd last night. Three of Celtic’s seven goals came from his moves.”  Another newspaper, The Glasgow Observer wrote: “Salim tickled the crowd at Celtic Park on Friday with his magnificent ball manipulation despite playing barefooted.”

But even after the praise and success, Salim decided to return to India because he missed his home country. In 1940 Mohammedan Sporting became the first Indian club to win the Durand Cup in front of one lakh spectators. The British Viceroy at that time Lord Linlithgow, witnessed the match against the Royal Warwickshire regiment.

In 1980, at the age of 76, Salim passed away in Kolkata.

Before independence, challenging the might of the British rulers was a Herculean task. Salim achieved this seemingly impossible feat with his football. That was his greatest glory. He demonstrated that even barefooted Indian players, with determination and skill, could overcome the strongest of British teams.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Abhijit Sent Gupta / November 26th, 2022