Ali Imam

Ali Imam (; 12 April 1949 – 14 March 1989) was a retired Bangladeshi football player and coach.

Playing career Ali Imam began his career as a left-winger at Dhaka Wanderers in 1963, under the guidance of his older brother Ali Hafiz. Nonetheless, Imam suffered continuous injuries throughout his career, keeping him out of action for the next two years. He represented Azad Sporting Club during both the 1966 and 1967 editions of the Aga Khan Gold Cup.

During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Imam had moved to Calcutta and sought shelter in the Mohun Bagan clubhouse with the help of Balai Dey. Imam was one of the main founders of the Shadhin Bangla football team.

On 13 February 1972, Imam took part in the first football match in newly independent Bangladesh, representing the Bangladesh XI against the President's XI. His team was composed of former members of the Shadhin Bangla football team; nonetheless, they ended up losing 2–0. In 1972, Imam joined Abahani Krira Chakra and contributed to organizing Abahani's first squad. He made his debut during the club's inaugural league game against BJIC on 11 June 1972. He would win his first and only league title in 1974 with the same club.

Managerial career Imam began training under-18 footballers at Kalabagan field in 1973. The training program saw Imam nurture future national team players such as Ahsanullah Montu, Shafiqul Islam Manik, Arif Abdul Khalek, Shafiul Arefin Tutul, AKM Abdul Baten, Kazi Kamal, AM Abdullah Saik, and Ataur Babu, among others. Imam began coaching in the First Division with Shadharan Bima CSC in 1980 and helped the club finish sixth in the league;

In 1983, Imam was given the head coach duty of Abahani Krira Chakra and guided the club to consecutive First Division League titles in 1983 and 1984. His performances as Abahani coach saw him take charge of the Bangladesh national team for the 1984 South Asian Games held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The team finished as runners-up with only two weeks of training, recording 5–0 victories over Maldives and hosts Nepal, before eventually losing 2–4 to Nepal in the final. At the club level, Imam was replaced as Abahani's head coach by the recently retired Kazi Salahuddin, denying him a chance to complete a hat-trick of league triumphs with the club.

In 1985, Imam joined Brothers Union, determined to take revenge. Brothers finished the first part of the season at the top of the table. Mohammedan was 2 points behind, while Abahani was 3 points further adrift. In the league-deciding game, Brothers led Abahani 2–0; however, the Sky Blues produced a memorable comeback to win 3–2. A goalless draw in the final match secured Abahani's third consecutive title as Imam's team finished runners-up. In 1986, Imam joined Mohammedan SC and finally got his revenge on Abahani, edging his former club to the league title. Mohammedan eventually defeated their arch-rivals 2–0 in the title-deciding Dhaka Derby match. In the same year, Imam coached Mohammedan during Nepal's Panchayat Silver Jubilee Cup, where Mohammedan played as the Bangladesh national team.

Honours Player Abahani Krira Chakra Dhaka First Division League: 1974

Manager Abahani Krira Chakra Dhaka First Division League: 1983, 1984

Mohammedan SC Dhaka First Division League: 1986

Bangladesh South Asian Games Silver medal: 1984