Jamil Akhtar

Jamil Akhtar
Akhtar in 1974
Personal information
Date of birth Unknown
Place of birth British India
Date of death Unknown
Place of death Pakistan
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950–1954 Rangers FC
1950–1953 Punjab
1954–1955 East Bengal
Pakistan Railways
International career
1952–1955 Pakistan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jamil Akhtar (Urdu: جمیل اختر) was a Pakistani footballer who played as an inside left forward. Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history,[1] he was the fifth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team after Osman Jan, Abdul Wahid Durrani, Muhammad Sharif and Moideen Kutty.[2] Akhtar also played for East Bengal in India.[3]

Club career

Akhtar played for Lahore club Rangers FC throughout his career.[4] He represented Punjab University football team from 1948 to 1951.[4] In 1950, he played for Rangers FC at the Rovers Cup in 1951 in Bombay.[4] He won the Lahore District Soccer Championship with the club in June 1951.[5] He also represented Punjab in the National Football Championship from 1950 to 1953, captaining the team in the last year.[4] He also played for Pakistan Railways at the National Football Championship.[6][7][8][9]

In 1954, he played in India for the Calcutta Football League club East Bengal.[3] In 1958, Akhtar played for Lahore club Zamindars FC.[10]

International career

Akhtar with the Pakistan national team in 1953 (second sitting from right)

Akhtar first represented Pakistan in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in Ceylon.[4] He also played for Pakistan at the 1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.[11]

He also represented Pakistan at the 1954 Asian Games in the Philippines. In a preparation match, he scored against a Singapore combined Colony XI in a 4–1 victory on 24 April 1954.[12] He scored a brace in a 6–2 win against Singapore in a group match, where Masood Fakhri had notably scored a hat-trick, and Moideen Kutty also scored a goal.[13][14]

Akhtar with the Pakistan national team in 1955 (second standing from left)

Akhtar subsequently became the fifth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament,[2] scoring a goal against Ceylon in a 2–1 victory.[15]

He also scored in a 4–2 victory against Burma at the next 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.[15] At the exhibition matches at the beginning of the tournament, he scored a hat trick against an East Pakistan XI on 14 December in a 3–1 victory.[15]

Career statistics

International goals

Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.

List of international goals scored by Jamil Akhtar
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 25 April 1954 Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore  Singapore 2–2 Friendly [16]
2 2 May 1954 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines  Singapore 1–1 6–2 1954 Asian Games [13][14]
3 2–1 [13][14]
4 21 December 1954 Calcutta FC Ground, Kolkata, India  Ceylon 2–1 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [15]
5 17 December 1955 Dacca Stadium, Dhaka, East Pakistan  Burma 4–2 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team". The Indian Express. 2023-06-20. Archived from the original on 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  2. ^ a b Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  3. ^ a b "Team Archives – EAST BENGAL CLUB". eastbengalfootballclub.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 16 April 1954". Retrieved 2024-05-28 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 07 June 1951". Retrieved 2024-05-28 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 14 March 1948" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 06 April 1954" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 30 December 1956" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 September 1958" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Friday 20 June 1958". Retrieved 2024-05-28 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Indian Soccer Team in Rangoon". The Indian Express. 23 October 1953. p. 6. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Pakistan Beat Weak Colony XI Sunday Standard, 25 April 1954, Page 17". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  13. ^ a b c natasha.raheel (2016-09-12). "Unsung hero: Former Pakistani footballer Masood Fakhri passes away". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  14. ^ a b c "Asian Games 1954". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  16. ^ "Page 12 Singapore Standard, 26 April 1954". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-09-29.