The entire Naeem-Abed family is a hockey family. Mohammad Mustafa, a staunch fan of Mohammedan, had an extra attraction to hockey since his school days. He later spread the dream in his mind among his sons. The eldest son Afsar Uddin also went a long way and finally could not wear the jersey of the national team. Another son Naeem followed the same path and enrolled in the national team for the first time in 2017. Seven years after him, Abed’s dream has also come true. Naeem-Abed, who came from the Armanitola area adjacent to Tara Mosque in Old Dhaka, are now the great pride of the Mustafa family
Yesterday, late afternoon, Abed became a little emotional standing on the turf of the Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium. He reminisced about past memories. Instead of spending the night on Facebook or watching dramas and movies like ten others, the two of them would sit and tell stories about hockey. When Abed remembers those days, he smiles now, and sometimes tears come to his eyes without realizing it, “I have many memories with my brother (Naeem). I started playing hockey just by seeing him. At one time, I was stubborn. I saw my elder brother (Afsar) working hard. But he couldn’t make it to the national team. However, after Naeem Bhai got a place in the team, I also started dreaming. From then on, I used to talk about hockey with him so much that we would talk about hockey while eating, sleeping, and even while walking.”
Naeem-Abed’s interest in hockey is an exception to the popularity of cricket and football. Both were students of BKSP. Seeing their love for hockey, their parents and even other family members are now hooked on hockey. On the way home after any game, Naeem would think, “I know what my father will say today!” Because, at home, they regularly chat about hockey, and have story sessions. As Abed says, “After my brother plays, my parents all catch him. They tell him directly what he did wrong. Once I also criticized him. Now I too have to face something like that. These things are really funny. My parents don’t understand hockey that much, but they explain hockey to my brother.”
The AHF Cup, which is also the Asia Cup Hockey qualifier, will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from April 17 to 27. The Bangladesh team will leave the country on April 14 to participate in this tournament. This is very exciting for the two brothers Abed and Naeem. They used to fight for the country alone for so long. This time, Naeem wants to bring victory for the red and green team with his brother, “I was waiting to see this day for Abed. It feels great. I have been talking to him about hockey at home for so long, and now it will be on the field as well. Together, the two brothers will try to give something great to the country.”