Flt/Sgt. Moideen Kutty PP (born 2 January 1926), or Mohiuddin Kutty, was a Pakistani

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 a striker. Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history, he was the fourth

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the

Pakistan national football team The Pakistan national football team () represents Pakistan in men's international Association football, football in FIFA-authorized events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Paki ...

after Osman Jan, Abdul Wahid Durrani and Muhammad Sharif. Born in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, he rose through the ranks from school football. After enlisting in the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British Raj, British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the British Indian Army, and the Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The ...

in 1944, he represented the Royal Indian Air Force football team. Following the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, Kutty moved to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

where he captained the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

team. He also represented the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

football team. Kutty scored on his debut with the Pakistan national team at the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, where he helped the side finish as joint-winners alongside

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 ...

. He later captained the national team at the

1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games (), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954, were a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in ...

. In recognition of his contributions to sports, Kutty was honored with the

Pride of Performance Award The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, and ...

by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in 1969.

Early life

Kutty was born in Melmuri,

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a municipality and town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and ...

, in the

on 2 January 1926. Nicknamed as "Irumban" () due to his lethal barefoot finishing, he developed an interest in football while attending the model high school in Malappuram, where he also guided the team to victories in inter-school competitions. Following his matriculation, he enlisted in the

in 1944. Experiencing his inaugural moments of playing football with boots during his training in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, he became an essential component of the Royal Indian Air Force football squad.

Club career

Early years

In 1947, during the

Partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...

, Kutty was serving in the Royal Indian Air Force, where the majority of his colleagues hailed from the western Punjab Province, which eventually became part of Pakistan after the independence. Consequently, he opted for Pakistan in order to remain alongside his teammates and continue his football journey. His decision was made without a full understanding of the broader ramifications of the Partition, as he held the belief that India and Pakistan would maintain friendly relations and that travel between the two nations would be seamless. Consequently, Kutty became a part of the Royal Pakistan Air Force, which emerged following the partition of the British Indian military forces. He continued his football involvement in his new homeland.

Pakistan

In 1950, Kutty was chosen to be a part of the Pakistan Air Force football team, assuming the role of captain for the PAF team during the 1951 All-Pakistan Inter-Services Football Championship. He also participated in the 1955 Army Football Tournament that took place in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, which showcased army football teams from India, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. The

team achieved victories against India and Iran, secured a draw against Syria and Iraq, but faced a loss to Turkey. Overall, they finished in the second position behind the Turkish team in the Army Tournament. During Iran's tour of Pakistan in 1956, Kutty represented a Pakistan Combined Services team in a match against Iran. After Iran secured a 1–0 victory over Pakistan at the YMCA Ground in Karachi, the Combined Services team managed to turn the tables by defeating Iran 2–1 in the subsequent game, avenging Pakistan's earlier loss.

International career

Kutty made his debut with the Pakistan national team during the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament. In his debut match, Kutty scored against the host team,

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, ...

, making a notable debut. Pakistan played its first match against

after victories over Ceylon and

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, which ended in a goalless draw and emerged as joint winners of the tournament after finishing with the same points in the table. In the subsequent edition of the tournament held in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

, he scored two goals against Ceylon in Pakistan's resounding 6–0 victory. In a preparation match for the Asian Games in 1954, he scored against a Singapore combined Colony XI in a 4–1 victory on 24 April 1954. He was appointed captain of the Pakistan team for the

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, where he made a significant impact by scoring a goal and providing an assist in Pakistan's 6–2 victory over

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 ...

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Moideen Kutty transitioned into coaching roles. In 1956, he took on the position of coach for both the Pakistan Services and Air Force teams. Subsequently, he briefly assisted the Pakistan senior team coaching staff. His coaching journey extended to mentoring various youth teams for a span of over 12 years. He was selected head coach of the Pakistan national youth team for their tour to the Soviet Union in August 1965, where the team played several test matches against local clubs. He also had reportedly received coaching education from Loughborough College in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Personal life

Kutty also served as

flight sergeant Flight sergeant (commonly abbreviated to Flt Sgt, F/Sgt, FSGT or, currently correctly in the RAF, FS) is a senior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structur ...

in the

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...

. In recognition of his significant contributions to sports, Moideen Kutty was honored with the

, a prestigious civilian accolade in Pakistan. He received this recognition from President

Yahya Khan Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 191710 August 1980) was a Pakistani army officer who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan, commander-in-chief of the Pakistan ...

in the year 1969. Despite facing numerous procedural challenges, Kutty managed to make visits to Malappuram during the 1980s and 90s to see his mother and brothers. Moideen's spouse, Sainaba, who passed away in 1987, also originated from Malappuram. The couple had a total of two sons and three daughters, and together, they resided in Karachi.

Death

Kutty died in Karachi. There is no exact consensus on his date of death. Some sources state his death took place on 20 December 2005, while others point to 7 September 2011.

Career statistics

International goals

:''Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kutty goal.''

Honours

Pakistan * Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament:

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

; **runners-up:

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

; ***third-place:

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

Individual * Pride of Performance – Pakistan: 1969

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutty, Moideen Pakistani men's footballers Men's association football forwards Pakistan men's international footballers Pakistani football managers Pakistan national football team managers Pakistani people of Malayali descent 1926 births Year of death uncertain Pakistan Air Force FC players Pakistan Army F.C. players Muhajir people Recipients of the Pride of Performance Asian Games footballers for Pakistan Footballers at the 1954 Asian Games 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen Indian emigrants to Pakistan