“Who was the baby of the Indian football team that took part in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics?” __ this particular question had many IAS aspirants scratching their heads at one time during the UPSC examinations. “Many of them didn’t know,” recalls a proud Zulfakaruddin, with a rather mischievous smile, for, the answer was he himself.
The 76-year-old Hyderabadi was just 20 when he was handpicked by legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim for the Olympic team. “It was the best performance by an Indian football team and the late Rahim Sahib played a crucial role,” remembers Zulfakaruddin, one of the eight players from the city who were in the team at the Melbourne Olympics. India finished fourth in that edition.
Rahim, who had an eye for spotting talented youngsters, first saw Zulfakaruddin playing football in a local league.
“It was 1955, Rahim Sir saw my game in a local league and said I would play in the Melbourne Games. Initially, I thought he was just joking but then, he advised me to start preparing,” reminisces the veteran footballer. For Zulfakaruddin, who looks just as fit as he was in 1956, the memories are still fresh in his mind. “I still remember, it was a long and arduous trip. From Mumbai to Madras, it was a two-hour journey and from there to Singapore, it took us nine hours. We had to spend another six hours on a flight from Singapore to Indonesia. From Indonesia to Sydney, another nine hours and the local flight to Melbourne cost us two hours! All in all, 27 hours!” he exclaims.
The tiring journey, however, did not come in the way of their preparations. “Rahim Sir was determined that the team should give a better performance in the Melbourne Games. After a first round bye against Hungary, to the utter disbelief of the hosts, we hammered them by 4-2 with Neville D’ Souza scoring a hat-trick. It was one of the high points of Indian football,” Zulfakaruddin recollects with evident pride.
The Australians could not believe it and termed it a fluke. Believe it or not, they demanded a replay after the Olympics! “Even in that match, we beat them with D’Souza scoring twice,’’ the Hyderabadi, who played a key role in the forward line, says as he narrates the heroic tale of his team. D’Souza gave him credit for the goals and hugged him after netting them. The two shared a good rapport as Zulfakaruddin was instrumental in D’Souza’s selection as his passes as right-in in the selection trials at Calcutta helped the Mumbai striker score twice.
The Indian team got a walk-over in quarters against Hungary and went into the semi-final. “In a way, we were lucky as Hungary was a strong team in the world. They had beaten us 10-0 in the 1952 Olympics. Nevertheless, in the semi-final, we lost to Yugoslavia 1-4 after leading through D’Souza’s goal. But the European side came back strongly when they netted two goals in 15 minutes. It was a gallant show, though,’’ points out Zulfakaruddin. In the battle for the third place, India lost to Bulgaria 0-3.
Subsequently, Zulfakaruddin was not picked for the Rome Olympics but he silenced his critics when he led Andhra Pradesh to victory in the Santosh Trophy final beating the formidable Bengal. “I was angry when they dropped me for the Rome Games. That is my greatest regret,’’ adds Zulfakaruddin, who retired as DSP and now lives in Padmaraonagar. For his services, he was honoured in 2009 by the Union Sports Ministry. What does he think of the plight of football in the State? “It is shameful,” he quips as he signs off.
