52 Facts About Kazi Salahuddin

Kazi Salahuddin is a Bangladeshi former football player currently serving as the president of South Asian Football Federation.

Kazi Salahuddin previously served as the president of Bangladesh Football Federation from 2008 to 2024.

Kazi Salahuddin was a member of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team, which played across India to raise awareness about the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

Kazi Salahuddin played for and captained the Bangladesh national team, retiring in 1983.

Kazi Salahuddin is the second highest goal scorer in Bangladeshi top-tier football and is one of the two players to have scored 150 goals in domestic football, both his records come second to Sheikh Mohammad Aslam.

Kazi Salahuddin holds the record of scoring the country's first ever goal at the AFC Asian Cup, coming in their maiden appearance in the tournament in 1980.

Kazi Salahuddin has been First Division's top scorer four times, in 1973,1977,1979 and 1980.

Kazi Salahuddin was appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh on four occasions, in 1985,1987,1993 and 1994.

Kazi Salahuddin had less successful coaching spells with Brothers Union and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in 1988 and 1994 respectively.

Kazi Salahuddin was named as the Sports Writers Association's Best Football Player and Best Coach in 1979 and 1992 respectively.

Kazi Salahuddin was born on 23 September 1953 to an elite family in Dacca, East Bengal.

Kazi Salahuddin's father, Kazi Muhammad Shahi, was a businessman, and his mother, Begum Simki Shafi, was a housewife.

Kazi Salahuddin belongs to the Kazi family of Rajapur in Faridpur District.

Kazi Salahuddin was enrolled in BAF Shaheen College Dhaka before moving to Dhaka College and eventually got into Dhaka University.

In 1968, Kazi Salahuddin started playing cricket for Azad Boys in the Premier Division Cricket League.

Later that year, at the request of his sports teacher, Kazi Salahuddin played as a striker for Dilkusha SC in Dhaka Second Division League.

In 1968, Kazi Salahuddin was called up to the East Pakistan Youth Team for the Pakistan National Youth Championship, and in the following year, Abdul Hashem, impressed by the young striker, signed him for Wari Club in the First Division.

Kazi Salahuddin spent his debut season as a reserve player, while his team were edged to the league title by East Pakistan IDC, and when the Bangladesh Liberation War commenced in 1971, league football was stopped for over a year.

At the start of 1971, Kazi Salahuddin went to West Pakistan to play in the regional championship for Dhaka.

Kazi Salahuddin's family wanted him to go to London Salahuddin wanted to take part in the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Kazi Salahuddin's father agreed and he crossed the border to reach Agartala where he joined the training camp for the guerilla soldiers.

Kazi Salahuddin decided to play and went to Kolkata on a Cargo Plane of the Indian Air Force.

Kazi Salahuddin carried on to play in different parts of India with his team to raise money and create public support for Bangladesh.

Kazi Salahuddin volley earned Dhaka XI the win, a goal which was later praised by Mohun Bagan's Chuni Goswami, while the Kolkata team's captain Syed Nayeemuddin even went on to say that the goal was one of the best he had seen.

Kazi Salahuddin's team finished the tournament as runner-up, losing to East Bengal in the final, and by the end of the year, Salahuddin had established himself as Bangladesh's first sports icon.

Kazi Salahuddin refused and told him that he would only join if the team was strong.

Kazi Salahuddin won the First Division title with the sky blues in 1974,1977,1981,1983, and 1984.

Kazi Salahuddin was the highest scorer in the league for four seasons, first in 1973 when he scored 24 goals, then again in 1977 and 1979 respectively with 14 goals, and for the last time in the 1980 First Division with 15 goals.

Kazi Salahuddin was lethal in continental competition, scoring a brace against Afghanistan in the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1979.

In 1984, at the peak of his form, Kazi Salahuddin decided to retire from football.

Kazi Salahuddin finished his career as the club's all-time top scorer with 121 goals from about 146 games.

Kazi Salahuddin made his debut for the Bangladesh national football team in 1973, when they were invited to participate in the 1973 Merdeka Cup, held in Malaysia.

Kazi Salahuddin accepted the proposal to play in the Hong Kong First Division League, in 1975, which was at the time the only professional football league in Asia.

Kazi Salahuddin played 18 league games for the club, and eventually returned to Abahani the following year.

In 1979, Kazi Salahuddin returned to the national team during Bangladesh's first attempt at qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup.

On 16 September 1980, during the 1980 Asian Cup in Kuwait, Kazi Salahuddin became the first Bangladeshi goal scorer at the main stage of the Asian Cup, with his penalty against North Korea.

Kazi Salahuddin became the coach of Abahani Limited Dhaka in 1985, replacing his former coach Ali Imam as the club's head coach.

Abahani's historic hattrick league triumph meant that Kazi Salahuddin had won the first two titles as a player and the final one as the coach, which is a unique record in Bangladesh's domestic football.

Kazi Salahuddin became the head coach of the Bangladesh national team the same year for the 1985 South Asian Games, while still being part of the Abahani coaching panel.

Kazi Salahuddin was incharge of the Bangladesh Red team during the President's Gold Cup, in 1986.

In 1987, Kazi Salahuddin was appointed head coach of the Bangladesh Blue team at the 1987 President's Gold Cup, the team is assumed to be the junior national team consisting of players from Abahani.

Kazi Salahuddin's side caused a major upset by defeating the Syria national team, thanks to a goal from Fakrul Kamal.

Kazi Salahuddin was in charge of Abahani until 1987, and in 1988, he coached Bangladesh once more, and this time during the 1988 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Abu Dhabi.

In 1994, Kazi Salahuddin resigned from Abahani, and joined Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, while protesting the gentlemen's agreement between Mohammedan-Brothers and Abahani which lowered player salaries.

Kazi Salahuddin became the vice-president of the Bangladesh Football Federation in 2003 and subsequently assumed the chairmanship of the National Team Management Committee.

On 15 November 2005, Kazi Salahuddin withdrew his resignation upon the request of the BFF president.

On 28 April 2008, Kazi Salahuddin was elected as the president of BFF.

On 3 October 2009, during the South Asian Football Federation Election Congress in Dhaka, Kazi Salahuddin was elected as the uncontested president of SAFF.

Kazi Salahuddin had been elected BFF president for four consecutive terms, for a total of 16 years from 2008 to 2024.

Kazi Salahuddin, according to many, is recognized as the first ever true sporting superstar of Bangladesh due to his achievements both on and off the field.

Kazi Salahuddin was the first ever player to play abroad and score many vital goals for both club and country.

Kazi Salahuddin is one of the two players who scored for Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup in 1980, during the first and only appearance for the country in the tournament, to date.