First janaza of sports legend Abdus Sadeque held in Dhaka

The first janaza of Bangladesh sports legend Abdus Sadeque, a celebrated athlete and organiser, was held on Saturday after Asr prayers at Baitus Sobhan Jame Mosque in Block I of Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka.

The second janaza will be held at 10:30am on Sunday at the Old DOHS Ground in the capital’s Banani.

Abdus Sadeque passed away at around 8am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Continental Hospital in the capital. He was 80. He had been suffering from cancer for a long time.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and numerous admirers.

Read More

Daily Sun expresses grief over death of hockey legend Abdus Sadeque

Abdus Sadeque was the elder brother of Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Chairman of Bashundhara Group, one of the country's leading business conglomerates. His eldest son, Ishtiaque Sadeque, is the Chief Executive Officer of T Sports and a prominent sports personality.

Widely regarded as one of the most versatile sports figures in the country's history, Abdus Sadeque excelled not only in hockey but also in football, cricket and several other disciplines. He was the first football captain and hockey captain of Abahani Krira Chakra, now known as Dhaka Abahani Limited.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to sports, he received the National Sports Award in 1996. His father, Advocate Abdus Sobhan, was a renowned swimmer during the British colonial era.

As a member of the Pakistan national hockey team, Abdus Sadeque toured Europe in 1969, playing matches in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and England during a six-week tour. The team also played a match against Egypt on its return journey. His impressive performances during the tour earned him widespread recognition.

Following Bangladesh's independence, he captained the Cumilla district team in the 1973 National Hockey Championship.

After ending his football playing career, Abdus Sadeque took charge as coach of Abahani in 1977 and immediately made history. Under his guidance, the club went unbeaten throughout the league season, drawing only three matches and winning all the others. Abahani became the first team in independent Bangladesh to win the league title without suffering a defeat.

He later emerged as a successful sports organiser. From 1983 to 1985, he served as General Secretary of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation. Through his efforts, Dhaka secured the right to host the 1985 Asia Cup Hockey tournament, despite Japan initially being scheduled to organise the event. Bangladesh won the hosting rights with the support of Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea and Iran during a meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation.

In the 1977-78 season, when Bangladesh formed its first national hockey team, Abdus Sadeque captained the side in a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh recorded one win, one draw and one defeat in the series.

He also led Bangladesh's hockey team at the 1978 Asian Games, the country's first appearance at the continental multi-sport event.