Sheikh Ashraf Ali ( bn, শেখ আশরাফ আলী; born May 1946) is a retired a Bangladeshi football player and coach.

Early life

Sheikh Ashraf Ali was born in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, in 1946, the son of Sheikh Shahzada and Rahatunnessa. His father was a police officer. During the 1946 Calcutta Killings, the majority of Ashraf's joint-family members died, leading them to move to

Jessore Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...

(now part of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

). In 1950, only two years after the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, Ashraf's family returned to Calcutta due to an epidemic in Jessore. Eventually, he joined the junior team of

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

under the advisal of his father's friend, B.D. Chatterjee. He represented Mohun Bagan Jr. in the Calcutta Power League from 1963 to 1964. However, after failing to earn promotion to the main team, he permanently moved to

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

in 1965.

Club career

In 1966, Ashraf joined Fire Service SC as a left-winger after impressing coach Bazlur Rahman during trials. He played in the Dhaka First Division League and the

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

for three seasons. In 1968, he was recruited by Mohammedan SC for a tournament in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

as a guest player and joined permanently the following year. In his debut season, Mohammedan consisting of Pakistan national team forwards Ali Nawaz Baloch and Abdullah Rahi, won the league title as unbeaten champions, with Ashraf earning limited game time. However, after one season, he moved to East End Club in 1970, where he shifted to a more defensive role. Following the

Independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

, Ashraf returned to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, where he joined the newly formed,

Abahani Krira Chakra Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club cur ...

. He featured for the team during their inaugural First Division League game against BJIC on 11 June 1972. The game finished goalless, and eventually, the league was cancelled after only 7 matchdays. Ashraf was mainly deployed as a center-back under Abahani's Irish coach William Bill Hart, and led the defence alongside Abdus Sadeque as the team won its first league title in 1974. In 1977, Ashraf was made captain and led the defense alongside Monwar Hossain Nannu as Abahani became the first club after independence to become unbeaten league champions. He retired from playing after representing

WAPDA Sports Club WAPDA Sports Club ( bn, ওয়াপদা স্পোর্টস ক্লাব) is a multi-sports club based mainly in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club is owned by the Bangladesh Power Development Board. The club was well known for its football ...

in 1981 at the age of 35.

International career

Shadhin Bangla football team

Ashraf returned to

after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War began and resided in

Park Circus Park Circus is a neighbourhood of Central-South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. Geography Police district Karaya police station is in the South-east division of Kolkata Police. Karaya Women police station, at the sam ...

where his parents lived. He started representing Sporting Union in the

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by Indian Football Association (WB), under state football leagues in India. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is off ...

. While practicing with the Calcutta-based club, he met his former Mohammedan SC teammate Pratap Shankar Hazra, who informed him that

Ali Imam Ali Imam (31 December 1950 – 21 November 2022) was a Bangladeshi children's writer and audio-visual organizer. He wrote many scientific stories, travel stories for children. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2001 in juvenile lit ...

, another Dhaka League player, was residing in the Mohun Bagan clubhouse. By July 1971, Ali Imam, Ashraf, and Pratap came into contact with the

Provisional Government of Bangladesh The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minis ...

and began recruiting Bangladeshi players from Agartala, eventually forming the Shadhin Bangla football team. On July 26, Ashraf was part of the starting XI during the team's inaugural match, played in

Nadia district Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north. Nadia district is highly influentia ...

against Nadia XI, which ended in a 2–2 draw. The team went on to play a total of 16 friendly matches in India to raise international awareness and economic support for the liberation war.

Dhaka football team

On 13 February 1972, Ashraf took part in the first football match in the newly independent Bangladesh, representing the Bangladesh XI against President XI at the

Dhaka Stadium Bangabandhu National Stadium ( bn, বঙ্গবন্ধু জাতীয় স্টেডিয়াম, ''romanised: Bongobondhu jateeyo stediyaam''), also known as Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as Dacca Stadium, is the national s ...

. The Bangladesh XI was made of former members of the Shadhin Bangla football team, nonetheless, the experienced team ended up losing 2–0. In 1972, Ashraf represented Dhaka XI (unofficial Bangladesh national football team) at the

Bordoloi Trophy The Bordoloi Trophy, also known as the Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, is a premier annual Indian football tournament held in Guwahati and organized by Guwahati Sports Association (GSA). The tournament was first started in 1952 ...

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

, India. His team finished runner-up, losing 1–5 to

East Bengal Club East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top ...

in the final. On 11 November 1973, he played an exhibition match representing Dhaka Metropolis XI during their 0–3 defeat to the travelling Soviet club, Dinamo Minsk. He was also captain of the

Dhaka District Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and rests on the eastern banks o ...

team to win the first edition of the

Sher-e-Bangla Cup The National Football Championship is a semi-professional association football tournament in Bangladesh, contested by districts and government institutions of the country. During the seasons ranging from 2000 to 2006, the wide-open national c ...

held after independence.

Bangladesh football team

On 26 July 1973, Ashraf featured in a 2–2 draw against

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

at the 1973 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysoa, in what was the inaugural international match played by the

Bangladesh national football team The Bangladesh national football team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দল) is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a member ...

. Throughout the tournament he was mainly deployed as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, in a defence which included

Zakaria Pintoo Zakaria Pintoo (born 1 January 1943) is a Bangladeshi retired professional footballer who played as a defender. Career Pintoo played for the Pakistan football team before independence. He served as the captain of Shadhin Bangla Football Team ...

, Nazir Ahmed and

Abdul Hakim Abdul Hakim ( ar, عبد الحكيم, translit=ʻAbd al-Ḥakīm) is a Muslim male given name, and in modern usage, first name or surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and ''Hakim''. The name means "servant of the All-wise" ...

. Ashraf was one of the two players selected from

by coach Sheikh Shaheb Ali to be selected in the team, the other being star-striker,

Kazi Salahuddin Kazi Md. Salahuddin ( bn, কাজী সালাউদ্দিন; born 23 September 1953) is a Bangladeshi former football player currently serving as a president of South Asian Football Federation. He was a member of the Shadhin Bangla ...

. He was also part of the team which recorded the country's first international victory against

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in an exhibition match played on their trip back from Malaysia, on 13 August 1973. He made his final international appearances for Bangladesh at the 1975 edition of the Merdeka Tournament.

Coaching career

Ashraf served as assistant coach of BRTC Sports Club under head coach Mari Chowdhury from 1984 to 1986. During that period, BRTC reached the Super League round after finishing fifth in the 1984 Dhaka League season. Ashraf served as head coach of

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 Senior Division League, the third tier of football in Bangladesh. They were relegated from the ...

in 1987, guiding them to a 13th-place finish in the 16-club league. He later returned to the role of assistant with

Abahani Limited Dhaka Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club curr ...

and

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC Muktijoddha Sangsad KC ( bn, মুক্তিযোদ্ধা সংসদ ক্রীড়া চক্র) is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club is nicknamed The Freedom Fighters. It competes i ...

in 1991 and 1994, respectively. He served as the head coach of the Bangladesh U19 team at the 1994 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers in Saudi Arabia. In the three games played, Bangladesh suffered 0–5 and 0–2 defeats to Saudi Arabia U19 and Syria U19, respectively, but managed to clinch a 2–0 victory over Hong Kong U19, ultimately failing to qualify for the main tournament. Notable players in that team included captain

Arman Mia Arman Mia ( bn, আরমান মিয়া; born 10 October 1977) is a retired Bangladeshi professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played for the Bangladesh national team from 1993 to 2006. International career Ba ...

, Alfaz Ahmed, and

Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu ( bn, জুলফিকার মাহমুদ মিন্টু; born 9 December 1977) is a Bangladeshi professional football coach and former player who last served as head coach of Bangladesh U23. Club career Mintu ...

Personal life

Ashraf married Rashida Khatun in 1979, with whom he has two children. On 27 December 2018, Ashraf, who attended an event arranged by the

Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānlādēśa phuṭabala phēḍārēśana'') is the governing body that administrates the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national tea ...

in recognition of the Shadhin Bangla football team, left the venue despite attending the reception, expressing his dissatisfaction with the seating arrangement. In September 2021, Ashraf along with former Bangladesh national team captain, the late

Monem Munna Mohammad Monem Munna (; 9 June 1966 – 12 February 2005) was a Bangladeshi footballer who mainly played as a center back. He is often regarded as the best defender that ever played for Bangladesh. He is well known by his surname "King-Back". ...

, were given residential flats by PM

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2 ...

Honours

Mohammedan SC *

Dhaka League Dhaka Senior Division Football League, also referred as First Division Football League, is the third tier of football league in Bangladesh. Until 2006, it was the top-tier league of the country. It was established in 1948 as Dhaka League, while ...

: 1969 Abahani Krira Chakra *

: 1974, 1977 *Liberation Cup: 1977 Dhaka District *

: 1973 Individual * National Sports Awards: 1999

References

Bibliography

* * * * *