Abul Hossain (footballer)

Born in Chandpur, East Bengal, Abul was the ninth oldest among eleven siblings. He played both football and basketball at inter-school and district level. He trialed for Azad Sporting Club in Dhaka, and after impressing coaches Ranjit Das and Anjam Hossain, he joined the club both as a basketball and football player. ==Club career==

Abul represented Azad Sporting Club in the Dhaka First Division Football League from 1975 to 1978. ==International career==

Abul represented the Bangladesh U19 team during both the 1977 and 1978 editions of the AFC Youth Championship. He made his debut for the team at the 1978 Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand. He was also part of the team at the 1980 AFC Asian Cup held in Kuwait. Abul was appointed vice-captain for the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India and captained the team during a 2–1 victory over Malaysia in the absence of original captain Abdul Motaleb. He captained the team at the 1983 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia. He also represented the national team at the 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1987 editions of the President's Gold Cup in Dhaka. ==Coaching career==

In 1995, Abul completed coaching training in Sri Lanka and later became the assistant coach of Mohammedan SC. In 1998, Abul was appointed interim coach of Mohammedan, following the mid-season departure of Samir Shaker. He guided the club to a runners-up finish in the 1997–98 Dhaka Premier Division League. In 2002, he succeeded Pakir Ali as the club's head coach and, in the same year, led the team to a domestic treble by winning the 2002 Dhaka Premier Division League, 2001–02 National League and the 2002 Federation Cup title. In 2003, his team finished runners-up in the National League, losing the final to Muktijoddha Sangsad KC at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in front of 45,000 sepctators. He stepped down from his position in 2004 and relocated to the United States with his family. ==Personal life==

Abul's son, Abid Hossain, is a professional footballer who played for Mohammedan SC. ==Honours==

Player Mohammedan SC • Dhaka First Division/Premier Division League: 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988–89, 1993 • Federation Cup: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989 • Independence Cup: 1991 • DMFA Cup: 1984, 1993 • Ma-O-Moni Gold Cup: 1990 • Ashis-Jabbar Shield Tournament: 1982 • Rakibuddin Gold Cup: 1982 Manager • Dhaka Premier Division League: 2002 • National League: 2001–02 • Federation Cup: 2002 ==References==