The East Pakistan football team () was a provincial team operated by the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF) and represented East Pakistan in national and international matches from 1948 till the Independence of Bangladesh in 1971, which led to the eventual formation of the Bangladesh national football team.
The team participated in the National Football Championship from 1948 to 1960, becoming champions in their final year, after which the EPSF began sending divisional teams to the tournament. East Pakistan won their maiden international trophy in 1970, the King Mahendra Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal, during which they also played their final competitive games, as the team was dissolved during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Apart from East Pakistanis, the team often included players from West Pakistan, who, at the time, participated in the Dhaka First Division League. This contributed significantly to their success.
History The East Pakistan football team traces its origins back to 1948, when a team from the province of East Bengal was invited to take part in the inaugural Inter-Provincial Football Tournament, which would later be known as the National Football Championship. In 1951, the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF), now known as the National Sports Council, was merged with the East Pakistan Sports Association (EPSA) and began acting as the province's primary sports body. Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury and Siddikur Rahman served as the reintroduced organizations first president and general secretary, respectively. The East Pakistan football team became a provincial member under the EPSF, which formed teams to participate in the National Football Championship, exhibition games, and international invitation tournaments.
Teams Team FormedNote East BengalMain team East Pakistan Main team East Bengal Whites 1952 Formed for the 1952 National Football Championship in Dacca East Bengal Green 1952 Formed for the 1952 National Football Championship in Dacca East Pakistan Whites 1957 Formed for the 1957 National Football Championship in Dacca East Pakistan Green 1957 Formed for the 1957 National Football Championship in Dacca East Pakistan Sports Federation President's XI 1957 Formed for an exhibition match against Calcutta Mohammedan in Dacca East Pakistan Sports Federation XI 1963 Formed for an exhibition match against Fortuna Düsseldorf in Dacca
National Championship record 1948 Karachi; unknown In April 1948, invitations were sent to East Bengal to field a team for the inaugural National Football Championship, held in Karachi in May of that year. However, it is unlikely that a team was ultimately sent, as the province lacked an established central sports governing body at the time, aside from district-level sports associations.
1950 Quetta–1954 Lahore The second National Football Championship was held in Quetta in September 1950. The provisionally selected squad played four friendly matches, including two goalless draws against Kolkata Mohammedan as the Dhaka XI and the Governor's XI on 31 August and 1 September in the provincial capital. Former Kolkata Mohammedan captain Abbas Mirza served as the Quetta-bound team's coach. The team won their first match against R.P.N. by 1–0 on 8 September, with Aminur Rahman Dhonu scoring in the 4th minute. Although much coverage isn't available, it is unlikely that the team progressed much further in the competition.
The third National Championship was scheduled to be held in Dacca, East Pakistan, starting on 10 September 1951. However, it was initially postponed and ultimately canceled a month prior due to the ongoing Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan.
The following year, the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF) successfully hosted the National Football Championship in Dacca from 16 February to 4 March 1952. For the first time, the EPSF fielded two teams: East Bengal White and East Bengal Green. The White team, captained by Amin Asad of Ispahani Club, exited the championship after a 0–6 defeat to Pakistan Military XI on the opening day at the EPSF Ground. The Green team began their campaign on 24 February after a significant delay. They reached the semi-finals after defeating the Sindh team 2–0 in their first match. Sindh defender Wahed opened the scoring with an own goal in the 28th minute, and Rashid Chunna sealed the victory in the latter stages of the game. The Green team eventually exited the tournament in the semi-final, losing 0–1 against North-West Frontier Province on 27 February. Hussaini scored the opponents lone goal in the1 17 minute of the second-half.
The East Bengal football team (also simultaneously mentioned as East Pakistan) also participated in the National Football Championship during the fourth edition of the tournament, held in Peshawar in 1953. Captained by K.A. Ansari, the team exited the championship after losing their opening match 1–6 to North-West Frontier Province White on 27 April. East Bengal's only goal was scored by Fazlu in the second half, when the team was already six goals down.
The following year, they toured Chittagong and played two exhibition matches in preparation for the fifth National Championship in Lahore. The team was coached by Mohammad Shahjahan and captained by Police Athletic Club's Anglo-Indian right-outside, Raushan Ali, better known as Robson. The team exited the competition after losing by an unknown margin in their first match against eventual champions Punjab Blue on 24 October.
1955 Bahawalpur and 1956 Karachi
In the 1955 edition of the championship, held in Bahawalpur, East Bengal (also referred to as East Pakistan), captained by Pakistan national football team forward Rashid Chunna, the team received a bye from the first round and exited the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing 1–3 to Baluchistan in a replayed match on 21 November. The initial match on 20 November had ended before full time, with East Pakistan trailing 0–2. Iqbal scored twice, while Taj Muhammad Jr. added the third for Baluchistan, and Chunna netted the consolation goal for East Pakistan.
Following the One Unit Scheme, the team was effectively renamed as East Pakistan. In 1956, Wajeed Ali Miazi captained the team during the seventh National Championship in Karachi. The team began the tournament with a 4–2 victory over Bahawalpur on 26 October, reaching the quarter-finals. The team's goals came from braces by both Ashraf Chowdhury and Rashid Chunna. The team eventually exited in the quarter-finals, held on 28 October, losing 1–5 to Punjab, with Kabir Ahmed scoring their consolation goal.
1957 Dacca; runners-up
On 17 June 1957, Ashraful Huq, the football secretary of the East Pakistan Sports Federation (EPSF) and the organizing secretary of the National Football Championship, confirmed that the eighth edition of the championship would be held in Dacca, the administrative capital of East Pakistan. The festive atmosphere leading up to the championship included free shows at local cinema halls for participating teams, as well as arranged trips to Adamjee Jute Mills and Cotton Mills in Narayanganj for the participants. After much delay due to many teams facing passport issues, the tournament began on 21 October.
Similar to 1952, the EPSF formed two teams to participate in the tournament: East Pakistan Whites and East Pakistan Greens. Khondkar Nasim Ahmed played a major role in the team selections. Notably, the tournament matches lasted a full 90 minutes, which was rare in the region at the time. Mari Chowdhury captained the Whites, while Sheikh Shaheb Ali led the Greens. The Green team was knocked out in the first round on 21 October, losing 1–4 to Pakistan Army. On 22 October, the East Pakistan Whites began the championship with a 5–2 victory over Pakistan Navy, with Ashraf Chowdhury scoring a hat-trick, while Nabi Chowdhury and Kabir Ahmed added the other goals. In the second round against Sindh on 26 October, the Whites won the game 5–0. The goals were scored by Rashid Chunna, Ashraf, and Mari, with the latter scoring three times.
In the semi-finals against Baluchistan on 3 November, Ashraf and Kabir scored in a 2–3 defeat. The loss on home turf led to local fans throwing stones at referee Mahmood Shah due to his alleged controversial decisions during the match. Police had to intervene and eventually retaliated. The governor of East Pakistan at the time, A. K. Fazlul Huq, was present at Dacca Stadium to witness the chaos. On 4 November, the East Pakistan government directed the Dacca Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector of Police in Dacca to conduct an inquiry into the clash, which resulted in seventy-seven people being injured, including fifty-four policemen. The semi-final was eventually replayed on 5 November, with the Whites winning 2–1.
In the final against favorites Punjab, held on 8 November, an unprecedented 80,000 local fans packed the stadium, with some even sitting inside the playing area, causing players from both teams to refuse to play, an exhibition match of 25 minutes per half was eventually held, during which the hosts' centre-forward, Ashraf, was injured. The match finally got underway on 10 November in front of 40,000 spectators, with S.A. Jamman Mukta replacing Ashraf, East Pakistan Whites lost 1–2, with Rashid Chunna scoring the team's only goal, and the chief minister of East Pakistan, Ataur Rahman Khan, handed over the prizes.
East Pakistan Whites XI: Ranjit, Ghaznavi, Eugene Gomes, Arzu, Nabi, Shamsu, Rashid Chunna, S.A. Jamman Mukta, Kabir, Mari (captain), Shah Alam.
Punjab XI: Sharafuddin, Riasat, Niamat, Shaukat, Masoodul Hassan, Naiir, Talib, Mazhar, Saif, Hanif, Rabbani.
The following year, six players from East Pakistan Whites were selected for the Pakistan national team bound for the Tokyo Asian Games, including Amir Jang Ghaznavi, Kabir Ahmed, Nabi Chowdhury, Mari Chowdhury, Ashraf Chowdhury, and Manzur Hasan Mintu.
1958 Multan; quarter-finalist In the ninth National Championship, held in Multan, the East Pakistan football team was captained by Nabi Chowdhury, who had earlier in the year also led the Pakistan national football team at the Tokyo Asian Games. The squad featured four other internationals: Manzur Hasan Mintu, Mari Chowdhury, Kabir Ahmed, and Abid Hussain Ghazi, the latter hailing from Karachi, West Pakistan. However, with leading striker Ashraf Chowdhury, the top scorer in the previous edition, absent due to injury, the inclusion of veteran Rashid Chunna, who had a poor domestic campaign, was criticised by the local newspapers. Prior to traveling to Multan, East Pakistan played a practice match on 6 November against a Selected XI comprising reserve and local league players, winning 5–2. Nevertheless, despite their strong lineup, they were eliminated from the tournament after a 1–3 defeat in their opening match against Punjab Reds, the junior side of reigning champions Punjab, on 15 November 1958. The loss was largely blamed on goalkeeper Ranjit Das, whose lack of height was said to have contributed to conceding the first two goals, while Rashid Chunna once again scored the lone consolation goal for East Pakistan.
1959 Hyderabad; runners-up
Prior to the tenth National Championship, held in Hyderabad, three trial matches were held at the Dacca Stadium by the EPSF selection committee from 27 to 30 October. Eventually, Sheikh Shaheb Ali, who had represented the team from 1948 to 1957, was appointed coach-cum-assistant manager of the final selected team, captained by Kabir Ahmed. In preparation for the championship, the team also toured Lahore, Montgomery, and Gujranwala in West Pakistan, where they played numerous exhibition matches.