Zakaria Pintoo

Early life Born on 1 January 1943 in Naogaon District, British India, Pintoo spent most of his childhood in Barisal District. In 1958, he was admitted to Jagannath College after completing his secondary examinations at Mathbaria High School. He captained the college football team into winning the Sir AF Rahman Shield and Governors Cup. In 1960, after finishing his higher secondary examinations, Pintoo joined Barisal BM College, and won the Sher-e-Bangla Cup as team captain. In 1968, Pintoo gained admission to Dhaka University, and captained their football team as they would become champions of the East Pakistan Combined University Football Championship. In 1969, Pintoo captained East Pakistan Combined University to the zonal championship of the National Football Championship.

Club career East End Club In 1957, a year before his admission to Jagannath College, Pintoo came to Dhaka to attend trials for the secondary team of East End Club, which participated in the Second Division. However, following impressive trials, he was given direct entry to the main team. He represented the club in the First Division in both 1957 and 1958. Pintoo was usually deployed as either a half-back or a center-back in a three-man defence.

In 1960, Pintoo played a crucial role in defense alongside Abdul Gafur Baloch, helping Wanderers become First Division champions by overtaking their arch-rivals and defending champions, Mohammedan SC. However, they were ultimately overwhelmed by Indonesian club PSM Makassar, suffering a 0–8 defeat in the semi-finals.

During a match against the visiting Kolkata Mohammedan, Pintoo man-marked Mohammed Rahmatullah in a notable 2–1 victory for the Wanderers, which earned him praise from the Kolkata club's coach.

East Pakistan Following his First Division title triumph with Dhaka Wanderers Club, Pintoo was included in the East Pakistan football team ahead of the 11th National Football Championship, held in Karachi in 1960.

He also guided Mohammedan to First Division titles in 1969 and 1975, with the 1969 title won as unbeaten champions. In 1972, he captained the team to their first Independence Cup triumph, defeating East End Club 3–1. On 11 May 1972, Pintoo led Mohammedan in an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan AC, the first foreign football club to visit independent Bangladesh, which ended in a narrow 0–1 defeat. Notably, in 1974, he participated in the Bordoloi Trophy held in Guwahati, India as a guest player for Rahmatganj MFS. In 1975, after leading Mohammedan to their first league title following the country's independence, Pintoo announced his retirement. On 2 September 1962, he played for the East Pakistan XI in an exhibition match against the Pakistan national team in Dhaka, which they lost 2–4. The game, arranged by the East Pakistan Sports Federation, was held as a charity match to raise funds for the victims of the regional flood. In 1967, Pintoo was appointed captain of the East Pakistan team, a role he held until 1970. In 1968, he captained the team in a 2–3 defeat against the South Korean club Yangzee FC in Dhaka. Under his leadership, the team achieved its first international success by winning the King Mahendra Cup in Nepal in 1970. East Pakistan defeated Border Security Force team from India by 2–0 in the title-deciding game of the tournament, held in a round-robin league format. In the same year, he participated in the 1969 RCD Cup held in Turkey. Pintoo was one of four East Pakistani players included in the team, alongside him were Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, Hafizuddin Ahmed, and Golam Sarwar Tipu. The team, coached by Mohammad Amin, lost 2–4 against both Turkey and Iran, with Pintoo playing in both matches. The following year, Pintoo was chosen to be part of the national team which competed under the name of Pakistan Football Federation XI for the second Jaam-e-Doosti Cup, and later participated in the 1970 RCD Cup held in Iran, alongside East Pakistani players Hafizuddin Ahmed and Khandoker Mohammad Nurunnabi.

Shadhin Bangla In 1971, Pintoo was initially preparing to fight on the frontlines during the Bangladesh Liberation War, having completed his arms and ammunition training at the Balughat camp in West Bengal. However, his close friend Abdul Jalil and his wife urged him to join the Shadhin Bangla football team formed to aid the war of independence. After receiving a letter from Syed Nazrul Islam, the acting president of the provisional government, requesting his participation, Pintoo agreed. Despite his initial reluctance, his wife's encouragement and Jalil's insistence led him to travel to Kolkata, where he joined the team alongside other players.

Pintoo was eventually appointed captain of the Shadhin Bangla football team, with his Mohammedan teammate Pratap Shankar Hazra serving as vice-captain. The team played their first official match on 25 July 1971 against Nadia XI in Nadia District. Before the match, Pintoo, with permission from Nadia's district administrator DK Ghosh, proudly waved the national flag, becoming the first person to hoist the Bangladesh flag on foreign soil. The team went on to play a total of 16 friendly matches during their tour of India.

The DC (DK Gosh) told our team official that the team captain and players will wave the flag, not the officials. On July 25, we waved our flag in front of around 30 thousand people at the venue. That was the first time Bangladesh’s flag was waved on foreign soil. After we returned to Kolkata and there was much discussion about the incident all over India. Later we learnt that the DC lost his job for allowing us to wave the flag without his superior’s permission. He was released immediately after that event. — Pintoo on the flag waving incident on 25 July 1971.

On 13 May 1972, Pintoo captained Dhaka XI, the unofficial Bangladesh national team, in an exhibition match against the touring Indian club Mohun Bagan AC, led by Chuni Goswami. The game ended in a 1–0 victory for Dhaka, with Kazi Salahuddin scoring the only goal in front of more than 35,000 spectators at the Dhaka Stadium. Pintoo captained the team in their first international tournament at the 1973 Merdeka Tournament. He made his international debut for Bangladesh against Thailand. The game ended as a 2–2 draw, with Bangladesh losing the tie-breakers 5–6. On 13 August, Pintoo led the team to their first victory, defeating hosts Singapore 1–0 in an exhibition match played after the Merdeka Cup concluded.

Post-playing career After retiring from football, Pintoo briefly coached Mohammedan SC in 1977. In 1978, he received a short-term diploma in football coaching from England. He later became the joint editor of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in 1979.

On 20 July 1979, Pintoo served as the head coach of the national team during a 1–0 defeat to South Korea B in a friendly match played in Dhaka.

Pintoo was the manager of the national team coached by Abdur Rahim at the 1980 AFC Asian Cup in Kuwait.

He received the Independence Day Award (1995) in the sports category by the Government of Bangladesh. Pintoo was married to Hasina Begum, with whom he had three daughters and one son.

Pintoo died on 18 November 2024, at the age of 81, as a result of multiple organ failure.

Honours Dhaka Wanderers National Football Championship: 1960 King Mahendra Cup: 1970

Awards and accolades 1978 − National Sports Awards.