Taj Mohammad (; born 1924) also known as Taj Lala or Taj Senior, was a

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 defender. Born in the

Quetta district Quetta () is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the northwestern part of the Balochistan province of Pakistan(occupied illegally). According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Quetta District is 2,272,290 (2.2 million). It is part of Quet ...

in the

Baluchistan Agency The Baluchistan Agency (also spelt Balochistan Agency) was one of the agencies of British India during the colonial era. It was located in the present-day Balochistan province of Pakistan.Administration report of the Balochistan Agency for 1888� ...

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 ...

(present-day

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# ...

), he represented

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 ...

during the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

Early life

Belonging to the

Tareen The Tareen (or Tarin) () is a Pashtun tribe inhabiting southern Afghanistan, and western region of Pakistan.Caroe O. ''The Pathans 550 B.C.- A.D. 1957'' Oxford University Press . Page 521.Muhammad Hyat Khan, "Hayat i Afghan" (Orig. in Persian 186 ...

tribe of ethnic

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

, Mohammad was born in 1924 in Killa Batezai in the

(modern-day

Pishin district Pishin (, ), IPA: pʂin/pçin, is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. District Pishin is located at a strategic point and is 45km² from the provincial headquarters, Quetta. In 1975, it was bifurcated from Quetta District, while ...

) of

Playing career

1940_league_winning_mohammedan_sporting_team

Mohammad started his youth career with Prince Club of Quetta in which he played for 6 years. In 1940, when he toured

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

with the Hazara Club and represented the Sandemans Club in the

Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. Incorporated in 1890, it was the third oldest tournament in India after Trades Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by s ...

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, he was called up by

Kolkata Mohammedan Mohammedan Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as Mohammedan, is an Indian multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club is best known for their professional men's football section which competes in the Indian Super League, the t ...

where he formed a formidable defence along with

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

fellow Jumma Khan. In 1948, Mohammad joined Bhawanipore Club in Calcutta. He played for

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

in 1948 at

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by the Indian Football Association (WB) as part of the state leagues. It is the oldest football league in Asia. The CFL ...

. Following the partition, Mohammad moved to

where he played for several clubs, including Muslim Club of Quetta, Afghan Club and

Karachi Kickers Karachi Kickers is a Pakistani football club based in Karachi. Karachi United competed in the Karachi Football League, one of the top leagues of Karachi. It last competed in the 2009–10 PFF League. The club was one of the most successful te ...

. In 1955, he toured India with Karachi Kickers and also went to

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

with Hazara Club. In 1957 he played for

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...

International career

Mohammad competed in the men's tournament at the

with the India national team. After representing India at international level, he migrated back to his hometown in Pakistan.

Post-retirement

After his retirement from the game, Mohammad worked in a government school where he retired in 1975. He spent his later life in abject poverty. The Taj Lala Football Stadium in Pishin is named after him.

Honours

Bengal *

Santosh Trophy The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), th ...

: 1945–46 East Bengal *

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 ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

: 1949 *

: 1949

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed, Taj 1924 births Year of death missing Footballers from Quetta Indian men's footballers India men's international footballers Indian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Pakistan Olympic footballers for India Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Place of birth missing Men's association football defenders East Bengal Club players Pakistani men's footballers Pakistani expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in India Calcutta Football League players 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen