Footballers relive Hyd’s golden era

It was a Sunday get-together that none from the fortunate lot comprising of the audience would forget in years to come. One was transported into a distant past, a period in time that has stopped ticking as the living greats, the last breed of home-grown but globally reverred football talents, relived the glorious past of Hyderabad, when the AP Police squad was the virtual Indian team.

Most human emotions prevailed all through the night-sentiment, nostalgia, delight, euphoria, agony and regret when they walked down the memory lane and recalled ‘the good old days.’ Some were meeting after a considerable time. Some could not make it to the function because of varying factors, including old-age and being located outside the city.

Hyderabad has the envious distinction of having produced an amazing array of celebrated internationals, whose passion for the sport was such that they would trek, bicycle or take a bus to reach the venue in time irrespective of whether it was for a practise session or a match.

Disciple and punctuality were paramount for the heavily-drilled protégés of the one and only upright and no-nonsensical (Syed Abdul) Rahim Saab, one of Hyderabad’s ever-lasting and delectable gifts to the world.

These factors dominated the discussion when the living footballers of a bygone era attended a function after what can be termed as perhaps the only landmark event related to Hyderabad football in almost four decades-a book release function.

One should acknowledge the exuberant dynamism of Mumbai-based Hyderabad native, P P Surender Kumar, aka as Gopi, who donned the national colours in his heyday.

That he brought out a fabulous collector’s copy, aptly titled, ‘Hyderabadi Contribution to Indian Football’, should be taken as a salutation to the yesteryear heroes, the likes of which one has not seen in fifty years.

The organisers did well by having the book released by Olympians of the calibre of SHH Hamid, Zulfiqaruddin and SS Hakim because the stalwarts could provide inputs like no other. This was on show when the participants went into an extempore debate on the golden era and the gradual decline of the world’s most popular sport in the twin cities.

Lest one forgets, the active participants included some of the biggest names like the grand old man Edward, Mohammad Habib, Syed, S A Saleem, Victor Amalraj, Lateefuddin Najam, T Raj Kumar, James Zacharias and A Aleem Khan.

Gopi, in his thanksgiving speech, pointed out that he had toiled and travelled a lot to piece together the historical background, recollections from those alive, the football culture then and over the years, training regimen and the enthusiasm of the fans, who actually paid to watch matches in the twin cities, apart from the unique features that prevailed in the golden period, whose beginning of the end could be traced to 1982.

His intention to bring out the book tracing the days of yore was made crystal clear- showcasing the rise and fall of Hyderabad football to the younger generation and all budding footballers.

The debates and differences of opinions, notwithstanding, not surprisingly, there was no dispute on one particular aspect-Rahim Saab was not only the greatest of coaches but was the man who could be singularly credited for putting Hyderabad on the world football map with the fourth finish in Olympics being the icing on the cake.

Here is evidence to substantiate the man’s spectacular contribution-he has produced 15 Olympians, 21 Asian champions and 150 internationals. Simply put, that is the stuff of legends. Another occasion on which just about everyone agreed was in their damning condemnation of the declining standards of the sport in the once famed capital of football.

Each of them hoped that efforts would be put in to at least partially take the city on its recovery path. The clarion call was to the State Government-intervene and take steps to revive the popularity of the fascinating game. To those present on the occasion, it made for a lively and welcome change that was far away from mundane topics like IPL.