Chinghla Mong Chowdhury Mari (; 29 September 1938 – 10 May 2012), commonly known as Mari Chowdhury, was a Bangladeshi

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who played as a left-winger. He is considered to be the best

East Pakistani East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

footballer of all time, and one of the few East Pakistanis to play for the Pakistan national team. Despite the fact that most of his goals are unregistered, Mari is the unrecognised all-time top scorer in both Dhaka First Division League and Bangladeshi top-tier football history with 234 goals.

Early life

Mari was born in Chandraghona,

Rangamati Rangamati () is a town and the administrative headquarters of Rangamati District in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The town is located at 22°37'60N 92°12'0E and has an elevation of above sea level. Demographics According to th ...

on 29 September 1938. He lost his father at a young age, and was raised by his mother. Mari's mother, Occho Moyee, and father, Pastor Thysau Chowdhury, were from the Bomang Royal Family but were expelled from the royal family for accepting

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Mari was the youngest in a family of 3 brothers and 1 sister. Mari's school life began at the Baptist Mission Boys School in

Barishal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

. In 1951, Mari played for Firingi Bazar in the Chittagong League while still in tenth grade. The following year, he played league football for Chittagong Medical School. Mari did his HSC from

Jagannath University Jagannath University (JnU) () is a public university located in Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded as ''Dhaka Brahma School'' in 1858 and renamed ''Jagannath School'' in 1872, and later renamed ''Jagannath College'' in 1884, the institution wa ...

in 1956 and finished his studies from the same university in 1959.

Career

Player

Chittagong Division Football Team in 1961

Mari represented

Barisal District Barisal District, officially Barishal District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh, it was formerly called Bakerganj district, and established in 1797. Its headquarters is in Barisal city, which is also the headquarters of Barisal ...

and East Bengal Railway at the Ronaldshay Shield in 1951 and 1952 respectively. He spent five consecutive seasons playing in the Chittagong League, before moving to

Azad Sporting Club Azad Sporting Club (), also referred as Azad SC, is an association football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club was considered one of the pioneers of Bengali football in East Pakistan and participated in the Dhaka First Division Football Leag ...

in the Dhaka First Division in 1956. The same year, Mari and

Nabi Chowdhury Nurunnabi Chowdhury (; 1934 – January 2003), better known as Nabi Chowdhury, was a former Bangladeshi football player and the first East Pakistani or Bengali to captain the Pakistan national football team. Early life Nabi Chowdhury was born in ...

, were the only Bengali footballers to find a place in the Pakistan national team for two friendlies against

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. In the 1957 National Football Championship, the East Pakistan White team captained by Mari finished runners-up, losing to Punjab 2–1 in the final. Mari was named the best player of the tournament. Dhaka Wanderers Club at the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup

Dhaka Wanderers Club at the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup

In 1958, the famous East Pakistani attacking trio of Kabir Ahmed,

Ashraf Chowdhury Ashraf Chowdhury (; 1935 – 28 December 1998) was a former Bangladeshi football player and coach. Early career Ashraf was born in Daudkandi Upazila of Comilla District, British India. On 14 August 1947, he played for Lalmonirhat High School du ...

and Mari caught the eye of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

while representing

Dhaka Mohammedan Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in Dhaka. Founded in 1936, it is one of the oldest and the most successful football club in the country, with a support base in all parts of the country. Th ...

at the

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is a football competition organized by the Indian Football Association, the football governing body in the Indian state of West Bengal. The IFA came into existence in 1893, and was named after the association. The IFA Shield to ...

. The same attacking line represented Pakistan at the

1958 Asian Games The 1958 Asian Games, officially the Third Asian Games () and commonly known as Tokyo 1958 (), were a multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 May to 1 June 1958. It was governed by the Asian Games Federation. A total of 1,820 athletes repr ...

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Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. During the tournament, Mari suffered a knee injury. As a result, he walked away from the national team, however, he continued to play in the domestic league for another decade. He went on to play for Azad Sporting Club, Dhaka Wanderers and EPIDC the latter being his final club in 1967. Aside from domestic football, Mari again played in the National Football Championship in 1959, with East Pakistan. He played for Dhaka Jagannath College in 1957–58 and won the ''Sir AF Rahman Shield'' and ''Governors Cup'' for them. Mari also appeared in the

Aga Khan Gold Cup The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...

, notably as a guest player for

Victoria SC Victoria Sporting Club (), commonly known as Victoria SC, is a football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1903, the club competes in the Dhaka Second Division Football League, Dhaka Second Division League, the fourth tier of football i ...

and Chittagong Port Trust in 1958 and 1962, respectively. In 1963, he represented the ''East Pakistan Sports Board XI'' during an exhibition match against Germany's

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a Football in Germany, German football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fo ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Coach

Following the

Independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

, he served as the head coach of

Team BJMC Team Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (Team BJMC) was a football club in Bangladesh that was mainly located in the city of Dhaka. History The club was formerly known as East Pakistan IDC prior to 1971 and Bangladesh JIC from 1971 until 1975 ...

(formerly EPIDC), Bangladesh Government Press and Bangladesh Trading Corporation. In 1982, he guided

BRTC Sports Club BRTC Sports Club (), also referred to as BRTC SC, is a professional football club based in RAJUK Avenue in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Championship League, the second tier of Bangladeshi football, after compl ...

to promotion to the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

as champions of the Dhaka Second Division League. He remained as the head coach of the club until 1986, and had a fairly successful stint coaching in the top-tier.

Career statistics

International

: ''Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first.''

Honours

Player

Mohammedan SC * Dhaka First Division League: 1957, 1961 Dhaka Wanderers Club * Dhaka First Division League: 1960 EPIDC * Dhaka First Division League: 1967 East Pakistan White *

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

runner-up: 1957 East Pakistan *

runner-up: 1959

Manager

BRTC Sports Club * Dhaka Second Division League: 1982

Awards and accolades

*1981 − National Sports Awards *2005 − Grameenphone - Prothom Alo Sports Lifetime award of the Year

Personal life and legacy

Mari, was also involved in other sports, in 1954, he won gold in high jump and silver in 100m sprint at the National Olympics for Pakistan. Mari was a regular member of the East Pakistan Volleyball team and also captained the side. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971, he served as captain of Sector 1 in

Agartala Agartala (, , ) is the capital and the List of cities and towns in Tripura, largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tripura, situated on the banks of Haora River, Haora/Saidra River, about east of the border ...

and later as

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

under Major

Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman (19 January 193630 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until Assassination of Ziaur Rahman, his assassination in 1981. One of the leading figures of t ...

, for nine months. He was married to late Indulekha Mari (renowned sports journalist-Kira Jagat Magazine) with three sons (Eldest-Hla Sumon Chowdhury Mari, Middle-Hla Mong Bobby Mari, Youngest-Hlaching Mong Issac Mari). Mari received the National Sports Awards, in 1981. In 2001, Mari was given a special award as the Best Footballer from the

Rangamati Hill District Rangamati District (), officially Rangamati Hill District, is a district in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chattogram Division, and the town of Rangamati serves as the headquarters of the district. By area, Rangamati is the larg ...

Council. On 9 May 2012, Mari passed away, while being admitted at the Holy Family Hospital. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's since 2008, and also had skin cirrhoses, which forced him to be hospitalised. He left behind a wife and three sons. In 2012, the

National Sports Council The National Sports Council (NSC) is the national overseer of the control authorities of 41 different sports in Bangladesh. It is responsible to the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports and is based in Purana Paltan, Dhaka. History Prior ...

changed the name of the Rangamati Stadium to Ching Lah Mong Chowdhury Murruy Rangamati Stadium, to commemorate the

late Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

footballer. In February 2020, a mural of the Mari was inaugurated in Rangamati.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

All-time best top division goal-scorers: Bangladesh (Part 9)
at

IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury Mari, Chinghla Mong 1938 births 2012 deaths Bangladeshi men's footballers Pakistani men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Footballers from Chittagong Division Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players Victoria Sporting Club players Team BJMC players Dhaka Wanderers Club players People from Rangamati District Marma people Bangladeshi Christians Jagannath University alumni Men's association football wingers Bangladeshi football managers Footballers at the 1958 Asian Games Asian Games footballers for Pakistan Recipients of the Bangladesh National Sports Award 20th-century Bangladeshi sportsmen Mukti Bahini personnel 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen