Only the sound of crying on the other end of the phone. Veteran hockey organizer Mohammad Yusuf Ali was saying, ‘There will never be another Momin brother in the stadium.’
Mahmud-ur-Rahman Momin, the first general secretary of Bangladesh Hockey Federation, passed away this afternoon. But beyond this identity, this sports personality has many other identities.
National sports awardee Mahmud-ur-Rahman passed away at the age of 84 at his residence in Bara Moghbazar of the capital. His first funeral was held at Gabtala Mosque in Moghbazar. Mahmud-ur-Rehman will be buried at Azimpur graveyard after the second funeral at Wari Club.
Yusuf Ali Mahmud-ur-Rahman, the vice-president of the current executive committee of the Hockey Federation, confirmed the news of the death and said, “He had an operation a few days ago. Then he became physically weak. Apart from this, there were also complications of diabetes and heart disease.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman spent his entire life with hockey and football. This sports organizer was born in Sylhet in 1937. But the beginning of his playing career is from 1952. At that time, he was active in hockey at Armanitola Government School in Old Dhaka. In 1954, he was the hockey captain of the school team. In the same year, Armanitola played for the school in the Inter-Pradesh School Hockey Tournament in Peshawar, Pakistan. He was elected Athletics Secretary of Dhaka College in 1955.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman played hockey and football simultaneously in the college tournament in 1957. He played second division football for Kamal Sporting Club in 1952 and Mahuttuli Sporting Club in 1953. He then played football for Victoria Sporting Club in the first division in 1954-1956. Dhaka University XI played an exhibition football match against Calcutta Mohammedan in 1956 in Dhaka. Mahmud-ur-Rahman also played in that team.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman played first division hockey for Victoria Sporting Club, from 1954 to 1959. Then in 1961 he played in Dhaka Wanderers jersey. And from 1962 to 1969 he played for Wari club.
In 1969, Mahmud-ur-Rahman was the captain of the champion Dhaka district in Antjela Hockey. He was also the captain of the then East Pakistan provincial hockey team in 1960. In 1957, he played for Dhaka University in the first Inter-University Hockey Championship in Lahore. He was in the camp of Pakistan national team from 1961 to 1963. But unfortunately, he never got a chance in the main team.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman’s organizational career began in 1963. He was the first Bengali umpire in a match between Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Kenyan team in Dhaka that year. Then he managed the games of the national hockey team in 1969-70. In 1970, he was included in the international panel of umpires.
From 1968 to 1977 he was the elected hockey secretary of Wari Club. After that he was the General Secretary of Wari Club for 10 consecutive years from 1978 to 1988. He was the hockey secretary of the East Pakistan Sports Federation for the two years 1969-70.
And after the independence of Bangladesh, he became the founding general secretary of the Hockey Federation in 1972. Was in Ekadhar till 1981. He received the National Sports Award in 1977. He was also the organizing secretary of the Asia Cup hockey tournament held in Dhaka in 1985.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman’s contribution to hockey in the country is undeniable. His death has cast a shadow of mourning on the sports arena. Bangladesh Football Federation, Hockey Federation, Wari Club and Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) expressed condolences.