Masood Fakhri (Punjabi: مسعود فخری; 16 November 1932 – 6 September 2016) was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a left winger.[2][3][4][5] A former Pakistani international, Fakhri was well known for his time with Indian Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohammedan.[6][7][8] He was the first Pakistani football player to score a hat trick in an international game, and the first player from South Asia to play in England, where he played for Bradford City before retiring.[9]
Fakhri standing at the far right with Raiders FC in the 1950s
Fakhri began his career with Pakistan Raiders Club of Lahore in 1949.[10] At the age of 18, he represented Punjab in the second National Football Championship at Quetta in 1950 and won the third season played two years later in 1952.[11][12] He also returned to Raiders Club the same year to play in the Rovers Cup in India where his team lost to Bombay Amateurs in the semi-finals and beat Central Railways in the third place match.[10][13][14]
East Bengal
Fakhri standing at the far left with the 1952 DCM Trophy winning East Bengal team
He started playing for clubs in India in 1952, and was 20-year-old when he signed with Calcutta Football League side East Bengal.[15][16][17] During his first season with the club, Fakhri helped his side win the Calcutta Football League and the prestigious Durand Cup.[18][19][2] Fakhri usually played as a left-winger and had scored 14 goals in the Calcutta Football League alongside scoring the winning goals in his first two matches against East Bengal's biggest rivals, Mohun Bagan, and thus became a fan favorite among East Bengal supporters.[2] Fakhri also helped the team win the DCM Trophy.[2][20]
In August 1953, he was part of the East Bengal senior team's tour to the World Youth Festival in Bucharest, where he scored a goal against Lebanon XI in their 6–1 win and against Germany in the third-place play-offs in a 2–5 defeat.[22] He also featured in the friendly against FC Torpedo Moscow the same month.[23][24] The team returned from Europe to participate in the IFA Shield and reached the final where they faced Indian Cultural League. In August 1953, the Pakistan Football Federation reportedly prohibited Pakistani players from playing in India without a permit,[25][26] but East Bengal still fielded Masood Fakhri and fellow countryman Niaz Ahmed, stating they had received permission from the PFF. On 3 October 1953, in the 1953 IFA Shield final against the Indian Cultural League on the third replayed final, Fakhri scored for East Bengal and the game ended in a 1–1 tie.[27] The I.C.L. team lodged a complaint with the Indian Football Association immediately after the match against East Bengal over their fielding the Pakistani players.[27] On 11 October 1953, the IFA announced I.C.L. as the winners of the IFA Shield[28][29] after East Bengal failed to produce a written permit for the Pakistani players from the PFF and suspended the club from all football activities until 31 December 1954.[28] East Bengal challenged the decision and took the IFA to court after receiving a letter from the PFF president, Dr. A. M. Malik on 25 October 1953,[30] and had their suspension revoked.[31]
Return to Punjab
In 1954, when the National Football Championship was held in Lahore, he returned to his former team this time featuring with the name of Punjab Blue, scoring in the 80th and 85th minutes against Railways in the final winning by 3–0.[10]
Mohammedan Sporting
In 1955, Fakhri signed with another Kolkata club, Mohammedan. In 1956, he helped Mohammedan win the prestigious Rovers Cup title.[2]
Bradford City
Bert Flatley, a coach with the Football Association (FA) in England, communicated to Fakhri the possibility of a move to Bradford City. The club then competed in the third tier of English football league system. After negotiations with the then manager Peter Jackson, Fakhri finally signed for the club on 8 August 1956 In 1956. After playing one season with the club, he prematurely quit football for personal reasons in 1957.[2][32]
International career
Fakhri with the Pakistan national team in 1955 (second sitting from right to left)Fakhri with the Pakistan national team in 1953 (second sitting from left to right)
Fakhri had most notably scored a hat-trick and became the first player from Pakistan to do so as his national team thumped Singapore 6–2 in a group match at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, Philippines. He completed the hat-trick in 5 minutes, scoring at the 42nd, 43rd and 47th minutes of the match.[34] He had also scored goals against India and Myanmar during the period.[3]
Personal life
Fakhri married Rhoda Eileen and lived in Llanrwst, North Wales. His brother's family settled in Great Britain as well.[2]
Post-retirement
After retiring from football, Fakhri lived out the rest of his life living in Bangor Teifi, Wales.[2]
^"East Bengal Club - Legends". eastbengalclub.co.in. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2021. Masood Fakhri: Left-Out. Played for East Bengal from 1952 - 1954. He hailed from Pakistan and was the first sub-continent Footballer to play professional league in England for a couple of years from 1955. He toured USSR and Romania with East Bengal Club in 1953.
^"রোভার্স কাপে পাকিস্তানি দল, ইস্টবেঙ্গলের ফকরি ও রিয়াসত আলির যোগদানের কথা" [Pakistani team in Rovers Cup, Fakhri and Riasat Ali to join from East Bengal]. Jugantor (in Bengali). 26 September 1952.
^Roy, Gautam; Ball, Swapan (2007). "East Bengal Football Club – Famous Players". www.eastbengalfootballclub.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
