Wazed Gazi

Wazed Gazi

Gazi post-retirement
Personal information
Full name	Wazed Ali Gazi
Date of birth	1931
Place of birth	Barasat, Bengal, British India (present-day India)[1]
Date of death	13 September 2018 (aged 87)[2]
Place of death	Jessore, Bangladesh[3]
Position(s)	Left-winger
Youth career
1955–1956	Kolkata Victoria
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1961	Sporting Union
1962–1963	Kolkata Mohammedan
1964–1965	EPG Press SRC
1966	Dhaka Wanderers
1967–1973	BIDC
1974–1975	Dhaka Mohammedan
1976–1977	Dhaka Wanderers
International career
1970	East Pakistan
Managerial career
1978–1983	Rahmatganj MFS
1984–1985	Arambagh KS
1986–1988	Muktijoddha Sangsad
1987	Bangladesh
1989	Farashganj SC
1990	Arambagh KS
1993	Bangladesh Ansar
1993–1994	Shantinagar Club
1996–2002	Arambagh KS
2003–2004	Sheikh Russel KC
2005–2006	Brothers Union
2007–2009	Sheikh Russel KC
2010	Arambagh KS
2011–2013	Team BJMC (technical advisor)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wazed Gazi (Bengali: ওয়াজেদ গাজী; 1931 – 13 September 2018) was a Bangladeshi football player and coach.

Early life

Wazed Gazi was born in 1931 in Barasat, British India. His ancestral home is in the Dhalbaria Union of Satkhira District. Gazi's father, Soleman Gazi, worked for the Calcutta-based Jessop & Company, and thus, Gazi spent his childhood in Calcutta. Eventually, Gazi began working for the West Bengal State Electricity Board on a monthly salary and also represented them in the West Bengal Office Football League. In 1955, he began participating in the Third Division of the Calcutta Football League with Victoria Club.^[1]

Playing career

Gazi (standing first from right) with the Jessore District team in 1968.

In 1957, Ali joined Sporting Union in the First Division of the Calcutta League under the recommendation of local trainer, Ramani Sarkar. He spent four years at the club, before joining Kolkata Mohammedan in 1962.^[1]

In 1963, he moved to Jessore, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), after securing a job in the East Pakistan Government Press. He also began representing its football team in the Dhaka First Division League from 1964.^[1]

Gazi (standing second from right) with the Nepal bound East Pakistan football team in 1970.

Gazi won the First Division League title on five different occasions, four times with Team BJMC (EPIDC/BIDC) and once with Dhaka Mohammedan. He notably scored for Mohammedan during their title-deciding Dhaka Derby encounter with Abahani Krira Chakra in 1975 during a 4–0 victory.^[4]

He was a member of the East Pakistan football team that won the King Mahendra Cup in Nepal in 1970.^[4] Gazi represented the President's XI team against Bangladesh XI, in the first football match held in independent Bangladesh, on 13 February 1972. His team won the game held at the Dhaka Stadium 2–0.^[5]

Gazi also represented the Jessore District football team and was part of the team that triumphed in the Sher-e-Bangla Cup in 1976. Gazi notably led the Jessore Zonal team against the touring Dinamo Minsk in 1973. He also played against the Soviet club while representing Dhaka XI.^[4]

Coaching career

Gazi (standing sixth from right) with the Bangladesh national team in 1987.

In 1978, Gazi began his coaching career with Rahmatganj MFS in the Dhaka First Division League. He spent five years at the club, nurturing future internationals such as Kaiser Hamid, Imtiaz Sultan Johnny and Ashish Bhadra.^[6] In 1981, he acted as the assistant coach of Arambagh KS only during Nepal's ANFA Cup and helped them finish runners-up. Gazi joined Arambagh permanently as coach in 1984. He had numerous coaching stints at the club, the longest lasting from 1996 to 2002.^[1]

In 1987, Gazi was appointed Bangladesh national football team head coach for Pakistan's Quaid-e-Azam International Cup.^[7] The team finished fourth place in the eight team tournament. He also worked in the lower divisions, guiding Shantinagar Club to promotion to the Dhaka First Division Football League (second–tier) as the champions of the Second Division in 1994.^[4] Gazi led newly promoted Sheikh Russel KC to a runners-up finish in the 2003–04 Premier Division League.^[8][9]

In 2005, he won the domestic double with Brothers Union, clinching both the Premier Division League and Federation Cup titles.^[10][8] He also led the club during both the 2005 and 2006 editions of the AFC Cup.^[11][12]

In 2007, Gazi returned to Sheikh Russel KC as coach for the inaugural professional league season.^[13] He spent two seasons at the club, guiding them to a fourth and third-place finish, respectively. Gazi retired from coaching after guiding Arambagh to a fifth-place finish in the 2009–10 Bangladesh League.^[14]

In 2011, Gazi was appointed technical advisor to Team BJMC.^[15] However, he left the role after falling ill during the club's 2013 King's Cup tour in Bhutan.^[1][16]

Death

On 31 January 2012, Gazi was put on life support at Labaid Hospital in Dhaka. Although he soon recovered, he was forced to distance himself from football and left his role as the technical advisor of Team BJMC the following year.^[17]

On 13 September 2018, Gazi died at his residence in Jessore, Bangladesh.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Honours

Player

Team BJMC

• Dhaka First Division League: 1967, 1968, 1970, 1973
• All-Pakistan Ismail Gold Shield: 1967, 1968, 1969
• Independence Day Cup: 1967

Dhaka Mohammedan

• Dhaka First Division League: 1975

Jessore District

• Sher-e-Bangla Cup: 1976

East Pakistan

• King Mahendra Cup: 1970

Coach

Shantinagar Club

• Dhaka Second Division League: 1993–94

Brothers Union

• Dhaka Premier Division League: 2005^[22]
• Federation Cup: 2005^[23]

Individual

• Sports Writers Association's Best Coach Award: 1989

See also

• List of Bangladesh national football team managers

Bibliography

• Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
• Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প (transl. The story of football the story of footballers) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.

References

1. "কেমন আছেন ফুটবলের কারিগর ? খোঁজ রাখে না কেউ!". Ekusharkantho (in Bengali). February 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
2. "চলে গেলেন 'ওস্তাদ' ওয়াজেদ গাজী". Prothomalo (in Bengali). September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
3. "জাতীয় ফুটবলের সাবেক কোচ ওয়াজেদ গাজী আর নেই". Jugantor (in Bengali). September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
4. "এক কালের প্রখ্যাত ফুটবলার ও জাতীয় দলের কোচ ওয়াজেদ গাজীও চির বিদায় নিয়ে চলে গেলেন". Kiron's Sport Desk (in Bengali). September 13, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
5. Alam, Masud. বঙ্গবন্ধু বলেছিলেন, ‘তোরা ভালো খেল’. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
6. Rahman, Anisur (September 14, 2018). "Star-tracker no more". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
7. "সাবেক ফুটবল কোচ ওয়াজেদ গাজী আর নেই". The Daily Sangram (in Bengali). September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
8. "Veteran coach Wazed Gazi dies". Dhaka Tribune. September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
9. "No one off wonder". archive.thedailystar.net. July 19, 2004. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
10. "We were on-field champions: Brothers officials". bdnews24.com. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
11. "BU's Asian test today". archive.thedailystar.net. March 9, 2005. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
12. "Brothers go down to Al Ahed". archive.thedailystar.net. April 19, 2006. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
13. "Gazi belongs to Russel". archive.thedailystar.net. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
14. "Alfaz goes AWOL". The Daily Star. April 10, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
15. "BJMC come but can't complete signing". The Daily Star. October 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
16. "'গুরুখ্যাত কোচ' ওয়াজেদ গাজীর অবস্থা গুরুতর". Daily Janakantha (in Bengali). February 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
17. "ওয়াজেদ গাজীর অবস্থা আশঙ্কাজনক". bangla.bdnews24.com (in Bengali). January 31, 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
18. "জাতীয় ফুটবল দলের সাবেক কোচ ওয়াজেদ গাজী আর নেই". RTV Online (in Bengali). September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
19. "বাংলাদেশের সাবেক কোচ ওয়াজেদ গাজী আর নেই". Bangla Tribune. September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
20. "না-ফেরার দেশে ফুটবলের 'গুরু' ওয়াজেদ গাজী". Daily Janakantha (in Bengali). September 14, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
21. Rahman, Jahid (September 13, 2018). "বিদায় ফুটবল 'ওস্তাদ' ওয়াজেদ গাজী". channelionline.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
22. "বিদায় নিলেন ওয়াজেদ গাজী". Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). September 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
23. "A sweet Orange revenge". archive.thedailystar.net. May 4, 2005. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.

External links

• Wazed Gazi at Sonali Otit Club.com