Abdul Qayyum Khan Ali Changezi (Urdu: عبدالقیوم خان علی چنگیزی; 25 December 1935 – 25 June 2005), commonly known as Qayyum Changezi, was a Pakistani footballer who played as a forward. Considered as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history, he was known for his leadership, free kicks, and goal-scoring abilities.[2][3]

Qayyum Changezi
Changezi in 1958
Personal information
Full name Abdul Qayyum Khan Ali Changezi[1]
Date of birth (1935-12-25)25 December 1935
Place of birth Quetta, British India
Date of death 25 June 2005(2005-06-25) (aged 69)
Place of death Lahore, Pakistan
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Hazara Club Quetta
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950 Hazara Club Quetta
1950s Karachi Kickers
1950s Karachi Mohammedan
1953–1959 Balochistan
1956 Hazara Club Quetta
1960s Quetta
1960s Faisalabad
1963 Dhaka Mohammedan
1963–1965 Railways
International career
1955–1963 Pakistan ?? (??)
Managerial career
1977 Shaheen FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

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Belonging to the ethnic Hazara community, Changezi was born in Quetta in the Baluchistan Agency of British India on 25 December 1935.[4][5][6][7]

Club career

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Nicknamed "Papa", Changezi played as a left back, forward or winger.

 
Changezi sitting far left with Karachi Kickers during a final in a tournament in Travancore–Cochinstate, South India in 1955

He developed an interest in football while attending high school, playing for Hazara Club Quetta in his youth until making his senior debut in 1950.[8][9] In the 1950s, he toured in club tournaments in Iran and India with Karachi Kickers and Karachi Mohammedan, and in 1956 again with Karachi Kickers and Hazara Club.

Changezi started playing in the National Football Championship from 1953 and was a member of the Balochistan team that won the title in 1956 by defeating Pakistan Railways in Karachi on 11 November 1956, where he scored one goal in the final 2–1 victory, and was declared player of the year.[10]

 
Changezi sitting at far right with Dhaka Mohammedan in 1963

Later on in 1959 under his captainship, Balochistan defeated East Pakistan in Hyderabad on 7 November 1959, achieving their second league title.[10] In the same tournament, he scored 6 goals in the 9–0 victory against Sindh Green. When the football league structure in Pakistan transitioned from provincial to district based clubs, he subsequently represented Quetta, Railways and Faisalabad. Under his captainship, Railways ended up in the second position in 15th and 16th National Championship in 1963 and 1965, after falling twice to Karachi, in the finals held in the cities of Karachi and Peshawar respectively.[10] In 1963, Changezi represented Dhaka Mohammedan winning the Dhaka League and finishing top scorer of the tournament with 24 goals.[11]

International career

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Changezi (third standing from right to left), with the Pakistan national team in 1955

Changezi made his international debut with the Pakistan national team during the 1955 Colombo Cup.[3] In his debut match, Changezi scored a hat-trick including two penalty goals against Burma, becoming the second Pakistani player to do so after Masood Fakhri.[3][12]

In 1959, Pakistan first participated in the 1960 Asian Cup qualifiers hosted by India in Kerala. Under the captainship of Changezi, Pakistan faced Iran, India and Israel twice each in the qualifiers.[3] Although Israel managed to qualify by topping the group, Pakistan achieved a memorable victory over Iran by 4–1 and secure a draw against Israel, finishing in third place in the group, ahead of hosts India but behind Iran.[13]

 
Changezi leading the Pakistan national team

Changezi also participated in various friendly tournaments, including the Merdeka Cup hosted in Malaysia after the country first participation in 1960.[14] Under his captaincy,[15] Pakistan recorded some famous victories including a 7–0 walloping of Thailand,[16] and a 3–1 win over then Asian powerhouses Japan.[16][14]

 
Changezi (far left) during a friendly match against Indonesia in 1960

During a 1963 global tour, Germany's Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf faced aircraft issues, leading to an unexpected stay in Pakistan.[15] The Pakistan Football Federation invited the club to play friendly matches against select XI teams from East and West Pakistan. Fortuna enthusiastically accepted, competing against teams like East Pakistan Sports Board XI in Dacca, which included the veteran Changezi, drawing crowds of thousands.[15]

Managerial career

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In 1977, Qayyum was appointed as manager of the Shaheen FC club which toured in the Afghanistan Republic Day Festival Cup in Kabul.[17]

Personal life

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His younger cousin Younus Changezi also played for the Pakistan national team from the 1960s till early 1970s, and was later appointed as manager of the national team in the 1980s. In 2003, Qayyum Changezi replaced M.N. Jehan as chairman of the selection committee of the Pakistan Football Federation by Arshad Khan Lodhi, following the newly elected president Faisal Saleh Hayat.[18]

Changezi died on 25 June 2005 in Lahore, due to a heart attack. His dead body was transported to his native city Quetta for burial.[a]

Legacy

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Highly still praised by the local Hazara community, the Qayyum Papa Stadium in Mari Abad in Quetta is named after him.[20][21]

Career statistics

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International goals

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Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. There is also some conjecture on the status of several games regarding recognition by FIFA as "A" internationals during that period. Below are goals recorded.

Key
‡ = Unofficial Fixture
List of international goals scored by Qayyum Changezi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 17 December 1955 Dacca Stadium, Dhaka, East Pakistan   Burma 4–2 1955 Colombo Cup [12]
2 [12]
3 [12]
4 15 December 1959 Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi, India   Iran 1–4 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification [22]
5 5 August 1960 Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Thailand 7–0 1960 Merdeka Tournament [23][24]
- 18 August 1960 Singapore   South Vietnam 1–0 2–2 Friendly [25]

Honours

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Balochistan

Pakistan Railways

Dhaka Mohammedan

Individual

  • 1963 − Dhaka League top scorer (24 goals)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Although the source indicate he died aged 80, Changezi was born in 1935, dying near the age of 70.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Israel Official Games 1948-1959". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  2. ^ Hyat, Kamila (2014-06-29). "The years of dreams". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  3. ^ a b c d Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Qayyum Ali Changezi (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  5. ^ InpaperMagazine, From (2013-01-13). "In-depth: Pakistan football". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  6. ^ Baloch, Shezad (2014-04-02). "Festivity in the air: Making headlines for the right reasons". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  7. ^ Wasim, Umaid (2021-11-26). "Balochistan's boundless passion for football has nowhere to go but an event is keeping the flame alive". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  8. ^ "Unique Star School edge Ibrahim Ali Bhai School". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  9. ^ "Leisure Leagues set to hold school football". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  11. ^ a b "Bangladesh - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  13. ^ "Asian Nations Cup 1960". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  14. ^ a b "SPORTS WORLD: End to gloomy era of Pakistan football in sight". Brecorder. 2006-11-18. Archived from the original on 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  15. ^ a b c Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  16. ^ a b "Merdeka Tournament 1960". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  17. ^ "Afghanistan Republic Day Festival Cup (Kabul, Afghanistan)". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  18. ^ "Absent Faisal Saleh Hayat officially declared PFF chief". DAWN.COM. 2003-08-29. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  19. ^ "Footballer dies". DAWN.COM. 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  20. ^ Independent, The (2019-08-03). "Fear and persecution in Pakistan's Hazara community". Head Topics. Archived from the original on 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  21. ^ "'Under siege' - Fear and defiance mark life for Pakistan's minority Hazaras". inkl. 2019-07-04. Archived from the original on 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  22. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 16 December 1959" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 06 August 1960" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ "But they don't look the best, The Straits Times, 6 August 1960, Page 16". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  25. ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 20 August 1960" – via British Newspaper Archive.

Bibliography

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