Nani Bashak (; 17 November 1917 – 25 October 1996) was a
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay.
Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...
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 ...
referee and coach. He was the coach of the
Shadhin Bangla football team
The Shadhin Bangla football team ( Bengali : স্বাধীন বাংলা ফুটবল দল; ''lit. Independent Bengal football team'') was formed by Bangladesh Krira Samity of the Bangladeshi government in exile shortly after the ...
, the national team of Bangladesh, 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 ...
.
Career
Bashak, born on 17 November 1917, was the only son of a noble family residing on Madan Mohan Basak Lane in
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 ...
, a location historically tied to his lineage. He began his refereeing career in the
Dhaka League
Dhaka Senior Division Football League (), or the First Division Football League, is the third tier football league in Bangladesh. Until 2006, it was the top-tier league of the country. It was established in 1948 as part of the Dhaka League, while ...
in the mid-1950s and also officiated in cup competitions such as 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 ...
,
Sher-e-Bangla Cup
The Bangabandhu National Football Championship (), previously known as the Sher-e-Bangla National Football Championship or the Sher-e-Bangla Cup, is a district-level national football tournament in Bangladesh, contested by districts and governme ...
, and the Independence Day Cup.
Bashak was the coach of the
Shadhin Bangla football team
The Shadhin Bangla football team ( Bengali : স্বাধীন বাংলা ফুটবল দল; ''lit. Independent Bengal football team'') was formed by Bangladesh Krira Samity of the Bangladeshi government in exile shortly after the ...
, formed 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 ...
. However, according to the team's captain,
Zakaria Pintoo
Zakaria Pintoo (; 1 January 1943 – 18 November 2024), alternatively spelled Zakaria Pintu, was a Bangladeshi footballer who played as a defender. He was the first captain of the Bangladesh national team.
Pintoo gained fame as the captain of ...
, Bashak was only a coach on paper, as Ali Imam, one of the team's founders, usually carried out the coaching duties. The claim was later confirmed by the team's official, Saidur Rahman Patel.
On 13 February 1972, in the first football match held in post-independent Bangladesh, between the Bangladesh XI and President XI, Bashak served as the coach of the Bangladesh XI team, which mainly consisted of players from the Shadhin Bangla football team. The team lost the game, held at
Dhaka Stadium
National Stadium, Dhaka () is a multipurpose sports arena and the national stadium of Bangladesh. Located in the Motijheel area of Dhaka, it is predominantly used for football matches and serves as the home venue for the Bangladesh national foo ...
, by 0–2.
In 1975, he refereed at the
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 ...
held in
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.
Personal life
Bashak's daughter, Jharna Basak
Shabnam
Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film '' Samundar'' in ...
, was a famous movie star in Pakistan. He was married to Usha Basak.
Death
Bashak died on 25 October 1996 in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
,
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 ...