Abdul Gafur Baloch

Abdul Gafur Baloch (1936–25 June 1997) was a football player and coach. Born in Pakistan during the British regime, he was granted Bangladeshi citizenship due to his contribution to the country's football. Gafur was praised for his defensive abilities during his playing years.

Early life Born in Karachi, British India in 1936, Baloch was of Iranian origin on his mother's side.

Playing career In 1951, at the age of 15, he began playing in the Karachi First Division Football League with Qadri Sports Club. In 1958, Baloch won the Aga Khan Gold Cup in Dhaka with Karachi Kickers in what was the tournament's first edition.

Baloch represented the Pakistan national team from 1961 to 1963. He made his debut during three exhibition games against Burma in Karachi. He was also part of the runners-up team in the 1962 Merdeka Cup. In 1963, Baloch played a series of friendly games against China, marking his final appearances for Pakistan.

Baloch began his Dhaka First Division League journey by joining Dhaka Wanderers in 1959. He won the league title the following year before moving to the then newly promoted, EPIDC. He won the club the league title in both 1968 and 1973, as coach-cum-player. He was the club captain in 1967 and 1968.

In 1960, Baloch won the National Football Championship while representing East Pakistan. His team defeated Karachi White 1–0 in the final held on November 27 in his place of birth, Karachi.

Coaching career Baloch won the First Division League as coach-cum-player of EPIDC (later BIDC) in both 1968 and 1973 while also training Gopibagh-based club, Brothers Union, as an unpaid coach on the recommendation of the club's captain Shahid Uddin Ahmed Selim and founding secretary, A. B. M. Musa. In the late 60s, both Musa and Baloch assisted Sheikh Kamal in the formation of Abahani Krira Chakra. In the early years of Brothers Union following the Independence of Bangladesh, Baloch conducted training camps in a four-storey building at 48 Ramakrishna Mission Road, Gopibagh, owned by Selim's older brother, Saifuddin Ahmed Manik. In the same year, Baloch suffered his first defeat as coach of the Oranges, conceding to a late goal against Mohammedan SC. The club finished fourth that season as, Baloch would eventually lead them to a runners-up finish in 1978 and a hat-trick of third-place finishes from 1979 to 1981. Baloch also managed Brothers' junior team in the Pioneer League and eventually promoted the same players to the senior team, most notably winger Khandoker Wasim Iqbal, who played an integral role in the club's 1981–82 Aga Khan Gold Cup triumph as joint champions alongside Bangkok Bank. Baloch also won Brothers the 1980 Federation Cup jointly with Mohammedan.

In February 1982, Baloch traveled back to his country of birth, Pakistan, as the head coach of the Bangladesh national team for the 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament held in Karachi. Baloch's team mainly consisting of players from the Red team of the previous year, disappointed during the tournament, suffering embarrassing defeats to Pakistan Junior national team 2–1 and Iran 9–0, the latter being the country's joint heaviest defeat. The team captained by Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu finished the tournament bottom of the table with 2 points from 6 games. It was also reported that Baloch, who was granted Bangladeshi citizenship due to his contribution to the establishment of Abahani Krira Chakra, had traveled to Pakistan with a Bangladeshi passport. |cquote

Even after retirement as a coach, Baloch lived the rest of his life as a bachelor, during an interview by sports magazine Krira Jagat he stated, "Kya hoga shaadi banake, akeli hu, achii toh hu. Yes, football is my sansar-mokam bibi baccha" . He also financially helped numerous residents of Gopibagh, and lived out his retirement life in a two-room house provided by a family in the area.

Honours Player Karachi Kickers Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1958

Dhaka Wanderers Dhaka First Division League: 1960

East Pakistan National Football Championship: 1960

Pakistan Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1962

Victoria SC Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1962

Manager BIDC Dhaka First Division League: 1968, 1973

Brothers Union Dhaka Third Division League: 1973 Dhaka Second Division League: 1974 Federation Cup: 1980 Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1981–82

Bangladesh B/Red President's Gold Cup runner-up: 1981

Individual 1984 − Sports Writers Association's Best Coach Award