Elias Hossain is a retired Bangladeshi
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as an
attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. He played for the
Bangladesh national team from 1983 to 1989. He also captained the national team during the
1989 South Asian Games
The 1989 South Asian Games, officially the IV South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 20 October to 28 October 1989. Muhammad Ali appeared as a special guest at the closing ceremony.
The Games
Participating nations ...
. Elias is also the only player from
Gopalganj to play for the Bangladesh national team.
He is currently working as an executive director for the
Bangladesh Football Federation
Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānglādesh fūṭbôl fēḍārēshôn'') is the governing body that administers the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national teams, ...
.
Club career
In 1977, the Jubilee Rangers took on Friends Club, which was the Gopalganj First Division title deciding match. Elias Hossain played as a substitute for Jubilee Rangers in that match. Many star footballers of Dhaka including
Kazi Salahuddin
Kazi Salahuddin (; born 23 September 1953) is a Bangladeshi former football player currently serving as the president of South Asian Football Federation. He previously served as the president of Bangladesh Football Federation from 2008 to 2024. ...
and
Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu came to Gopalganj to play the match as, Jubilee Rangers lost 2–1 to Friends Club that day. Seeing the young midfielders technique,
Abahani officials took him to
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 ...
, to train with the club.
Although, Elias was not able to establish his position in the starting XI, he impressed Abahani coach Ali Imam, who later sent him to Azad Sporting Club in order to get game time, in 1981. After a year at Azad, Elias moved to falling giants
Dhaka Wanderers Club
Dhaka Wanderers Club () is a Bangladeshi professional football club from Motijheel area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top flight of Bangladeshi football, having gained promotion from the 2023 ...
, where he also played for a single season. In 1984, Elias got his big move to
Mohammedan SC, where he spent 7 years at. In 1986, Elias scored as Mohammedan defeated arch-rivals Abahani 2–0, in the
Dhaka First Division League title deciding match, thus, ending Abahani's aim for a fourth consecutive league title and break Mohammedan's 3 year title drought. In 1988, Elias was made Mohammedan's captain and led the club until 1990.
International career
Elias made his
Bangladesh national team debut during the 1983
Merdeka Cup
Merdeka Tournament () is an international friendly Soccer, football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day (Malaysia), Independence Day. It is mainly played at Stadium Merdeka, Independence Stadium, in Kuala Lumpur. "Me ...
in Malaysia. On 5 April 1985, Elias scored his first international goal, which came in a 1–0 win over
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, during the
1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
During the
1985 South Asian Games
The 1985 South Asian Games (or 2nd SAF Games) were held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 20 December to 26 December 1985.National Sports Council, Nepa"South Asian Games". Retrieved on 16 February 2011
Participating nations
A total of 7 countries part ...
Elias managed to score again as Bangladesh put 8 goals past
Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
. However, during the final of the SAFF Games, he missed an open net goal during the game, and was heavily criticized by fans and media later on as Bangladesh lost the match 1–4 on penalties.
During the
1989 South Asian Games
The 1989 South Asian Games, officially the IV South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 20 October to 28 October 1989. Muhammad Ali appeared as a special guest at the closing ceremony.
The Games
Participating nations ...
, Elias captained Bangladesh as, they again took on India in the group stages. His midfield partner,
Nurul Haque Manik helped Bangladesh take the lead, however, after a challenge from defender
Rezaul Karim Rehan
Rezaul Karim Rehan (; born 6 September 1968) is a retired Bangladeshi footballer who played as a defender for the Bangladesh national team from 1989 to 1993.
Club career
Rehan was trained in the AMCA Academy in Golapganj Upazila of Sylhet. He e ...
in the penalty box, Bangladesh conceded a late penalty. While protesting the decision, Elias pushed the referee in anger, leading to his ban from national football. After going through many complications, that game ended up to be Elias's last with the national team.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.''
Bangladesh
Personal life
On 13 October 2020, Elias's mother Hasina Begum died at the age of 83.
Since 2012, Elias has been the executive director of the
Bangladesh Football Federation
Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānglādesh fūṭbôl fēḍārēshôn'') is the governing body that administers the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national teams, ...
. He involved with his hometown club
Gopalganj Sporting Club, a club which was incepted in 2021. In 2016, he was involved in opening a football academy in his hometown
Gopalganj.
Honours
Mohammedan Sporting
*
Dhaka First Division League: 1986, 1987, 1988–89
*
Federation Cup: 1983, 1987, 1989
* Ma-O-Moni Gold Cup: 1990
Bangladesh
*
South Asian Games
The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...
Silver medal:
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
,
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
Awards and accolades
*2013 −
National Sports Award
References
External links
*
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hossain, Elias
Living people
1962 births
Bangladeshi men's footballers
Bangladesh men's international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Abahani Limited Dhaka players
Dhaka Wanderers Club players
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players
Brothers Union players
Asian Games footballers for Bangladesh
Footballers at the 1986 Asian Games
South Asian Games silver medalists for Bangladesh
South Asian Games medalists in football
Medalists at the 1985 South Asian Games
Medalists at the 1989 South Asian Games
People from Gopalganj District, Bangladesh
Recipients of the Bangladesh National Sports Award
20th-century Bangladeshi sportsmen
Footballers from Dhaka Division