Desk Report:
While the world was shaking with the excitement of the World Cup football, a shadow of sadness fell on the country’s sports arena. A unique beacon that had been shining for a long time went out. Abdus Sadeq, one of the greatest guardians and legendary figures in the sports history of independent Bangladesh, left our country yesterday and never returned. The void created in the country’s sports arena by the departure of this banyan tree, who shone equally in both fields – football and hockey, will never be filled.
The field-shaking ‘double captain’ and unique record:
Abdus Sadeq’s name will be written in golden letters in the sports history of Bangladesh for his multi-dimensional talent. Even among the star footballers, the traditional Dhaka Abahani Club made its debut on the field in 1972 under his leadership.
Historical Leadership: He holds the rare distinction of being the first captain of both the football and hockey teams of Abahani Club.
Savior of the National Team: He was the first captain of the independent Bangladesh national hockey team. Later, after his playing career, he also successfully served as the coach of the national hockey team.
Undefeated Champion: When Abahani became the first undefeated champion in domestic football in 1977, he was the team’s coach-cum-player. Under him, Abahani achieved the glory of becoming the undefeated champion in both the football and hockey leagues.
Answer to Conspiracy: In the late sixties, he foiled all the conspiracies to not give Bengali players a chance in the Pakistan national team. Proving his worth, he played in 8 out of 20 matches for the Pakistan national hockey team on its tour of Europe in the right-half position.
An indefatigable ‘organizer’ in times of crisis:
Abdus Sadek was not only a fighting soldier on the field, but also a visionary craftsman in resolving the crisis.
The dark days of Abahani (1975): When the Abahani club was in dire straits after the political changes of the 1975s, and many others secretly left, Abdus Sadek bravely took charge of the club, risking his life. Today’s best Abahani stands on the basis of his sacrifice.
The embodiment of saving hockey: About ten years ago, when the country’s hockey was suffering from extreme mismanagement and the clubs had made a final decision not to play in the league, he came forward as a savior. He called the clubs to a local hotel and simply said, “You go to the field, everything will be fine. Trust me.” Hockey returned to the field under the magic of his personality. He served as the elected general secretary and senior vice-president of the Hockey Federation three times.
The historic 1985 Asia Cup and international recognition:
In the 1980s, the Asian Cup was equivalent to the World Cup in hockey. Hosting such an event in Bangladesh was unthinkable at that time. At the Asian Hockey Federation meeting held in Malaysia in 1985, when Pakistan, India, Japan and Malaysia wanted to host, Abdus Sadek proposed the name of Dhaka and firmly said, “Have faith in Bangladesh. We will organize the best event in history.” Due to his organizational skills, the Asia Cup held in Dhaka is recognized as one of the best events in the history of this tournament to this day.
International evaluation: In 2017, the then president of the International Hockey Federation, Andre Negre, came to Dhaka and hugged Abdus Sadek close and shouted. He said with a microphone in his hand – “Why is Bangladesh’s hockey in this condition in a country where there are experts like Sadek? Use Sadek’s intelligence, it will definitely move forward.”
Traditional sports family:
Abdus Sadek’s sports blood was in his family. His father, Advocate Abdus Sobhan, was a champion swimmer during the British era.
His younger brother, Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, chairman of the country’s leading industrial conglomerate Bashundhara Group, was a hockey player who led the East Pakistan Youth Team.
An unfulfilled dream and a nation’s cry:
While the current generation considers a handful of successes as history, the stories of these legends remain hidden. A special initiative was taken by ‘Bangladesh Pratidin’ – to organize a chat by capturing the five guardians of the country’s golden era, Abdus Sadeq, Bashir Ahmed, Zakaria Pintu, Pratap Shankar Hazra and Golam Sarwar Tipu, in one frame.
Teammate Golam Sarwar Tipu said, “The arrangement is in vain without Sadeq Bhai.” Pratap Shankar Hazra also emphasized on Sadeq’s presence. When he went to the old DOHS house and proposed, Abdus Sadek happily said, “Take a picture of us together, is this greed worth it! But give me some time, my body is not doing well.”
First Zakaria Pintu and now Abdus Sadek have gone to the land of no return, so that historical frame will never be complete. The man who said “How are you doing?” in a sorrowful voice said goodbye forever.
As a nation, we may not have been able to give this gem the respect he deserves without a few awards, and the cry of that underestimation is echoing in the country’s hockey and football arenas today.
Farewell, lighthouse of sports!
