Sheikh Saheb Ali

Coaching career Pakistan

Ali started his career as a referee in 1943 and became a FIFA referee by 1962, while working with the Pakistan Football Federation which he joined in 1958. He later trained both the East Pakistan and Dhaka University football teams.

In 1960, under his guidance, East Pakistan won the National Football Championship. Ali was rewarded with the head coach role of the Pakistan national team at the 1960 Merdeka Cup, where Pakistan finished in fourth place by claiming victories against both Japan (3–1) and Thailand (7–0). In 1962, he coached Dhaka University to victory in the Inter-University Football Tournament. That same year, he also led the East Pakistan Combined University to a runner-up finish in the Zonal Football Championship held in Dhaka.

He again took charge of the Pakistan national team in 1963 for four friendly matches against the touring China national team. Ali remained in charge of the Pakistan team during the 1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers against Iran, as the team failed to advance to the main round on goal average, losing the first leg in Tehran 1–4 before consolidating a 1–0 victory in the second leg held in Lahore.

In 1965, he completed advanced coaching and refereeing training in London. During his two-month stay, Ali received a week-long specialized training in both football and gymnastics at the Tottenham Hotspur Club. He also became a member of the English Football Association.

Bangladesh

After the Independence of Bangladesh, Ali guided the President's XI team against Bangladesh XI, in the first football match in the newly liberated country, on 13 February 1972. Ali's President's XI team won the game 2–0 with goals from Golam Sarwar Tipu and Scooter Gafoor. On 13 May 1972, Ali served as the head coach of "Dhaka XI", the unofficial Bangladesh national team (not affiliated with a FIFA Confederation), in a match against Mohun Bagan. Dhaka XI striker Kazi Salahuddin scored the only goal in front of more than 35,000 spectators at the Dhaka Stadium. Later that year, he again coached Dhaka XI, travelling to India's Guwahati to take part in the Bordoloi Trophy. The team finished runners-up behind East Bengal Club.

In July 1973, Ali travelled to Malaysia as the head coach of the first Bangladesh national football team, when they took part in the Merdeka Cup. Bangladesh tied their first two games, 2–2 against Thailand and 1–1 against South Vietnam. Other than the 0–6 thrashing at the hands of Burma the team managed respectable results losing 1–2 against Kuwait and drawing with Singapore (1–1). They finished their Malaysia tour with a 0–2 defeat against Thailand. On their way back, Ali's side played a friendly in Singapore and earned their first international football win by defeating the hosts 1–0. Ali was the technical advisor of BJMC in 1979 and head coach of Victoria SC in 1983. He retired from all football activities after working with the executive committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation from 1992 to 1993.

Legacy Ali was the second troupe leader of the Dacca Boys' Scout. In 1942, he was awarded a first-class certificate in physical training. He joined the Bengal Fire Service in 1943, where he rose to the rank of Class I Instructor, having been promoted from Station Officer Class III. In 1965, he was honored with the Tamgha-e-Khidmat by president of Pakistan, Ayub Khan. The following year, Ali received the Pride of Performance Award.

Aside from football, Ali was a prominent local figure in various sporting events. In 1944, he earned the title of Bangali Bahadur from Shamsul Huda of Jinjira after defeating him in a solo kabaddi challenge. Later, in 1950, he represented the East Bengal XI in a volleyball match against the West Bengal XI, held at Sabji Mahal (River View) in Dhaka. He also took part in numerous long-distance swimming and field hockey events. From 1977 to 1983, he served as the chief sports coach of the National Sports Council. In 1977, Ali received the National Sports Awards from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the government of Bangladesh. runner-up: 1959

Dhaka Division National Football Championship: 1961–62 1966 − Pride of Performance Awards. 1977 − National Sports Awards.