Tracing rise and fall of football in Hyderabad, from its golden era to recent challenges

The inclusion of Hyderabad successful Lionel Messi’s circuit of India, alongside Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, mightiness puzzle the casual fan. After all, the metropolis nary longer holds the glitz and glamour of the existent shot powerhouses successful the country, similar Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, oregon Kerala.

But crook backmost the timepiece a fewer years, alternatively a fewer decades, and the city’s erstwhile glorious past comes to light, erstwhile the athletics thrived similar a wildflower successful spring. What is present fondly recalled arsenic the aureate play of Indian shot had Hyderabad good and genuinely astatine the bosom of it.

Hyderabad won the Santosh Trophy doubly (1956-57, 1957-58), Hyderabad Police clinched 5 Rovers Cup titles and, on the way, produced a big of players who person represented the state astatine assorted planetary events, including 2 Olympic Games.

The database of legends from the bygone eras – Syed Abdul Rahim, Sayed Khwaja, Syed Nayeemuddin, Shahid Wasim, Mohammed Habib, Shabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Peter Thangaraj, Tulsidas Balaram and Dharmalingam Kannan to sanction a fewer – each person a Hyderabad connect. Many of them person adjacent captained the nationalist team, adding to the sheen.

That the famed Calcutta Maidan was erstwhile a stomping crushed of players from the metropolis is impervious of the heft the city’s products carried. The affluent were ever successful the country arsenic patrons of football. If it’s corporates today, it was aristocrats similar Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, the past Nizam, before. 

Hyderabad got its archetypal all-India competition, the Majeed tournament, successful 1910. While it was a roaring success, it was abandoned 3 years aboriginal owed to a tussle betwixt 2 teams. But the seeds of a gyration were sown. One by one, teams formed, strengthened and established themselves successful the 1930s, from Gymkhana School and Nizam College to Osmania University.

The instauration for Hyderabad’s shot bequest was laid implicit 4 important years. The section shot relation was established successful 1939. Rahim took complaint arsenic its caput successful 1942 and Hyderabad Police emerged victorious successful the Ashe Gold Cup 1 twelvemonth later. It was each uphill aft that. Rahim, wide considered the designer of modern Indian football, played a large relation successful giving Hyderabad an individuality successful the nationalist scene. A visionary coach, helium had a keen oculus for endowment and the know-how to mould from the clay of their earthy abilities immoderate genuinely world-class talents.

“Without doubt, Hyderabad’s greatness tin beryllium traced to Rahim saab, helium was the pioneer. Only aft that did we come, found ourselves and past went connected to bash good successful Calcutta and Bombay,” erstwhile India striker and Dhyanchand Awardee, Shabbir Ali, told The Hindu.

“Being from Hyderabad, helium knew the players, the clubs and the system. Many players from present went to the nationalist level and gave results to the country.”

Amalraj, who has captained each 3 of Kolkata’s giants – Mohammedan Sporting, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan – concurs. “You cannot hide our Rahim sir and his contributions. He had a knack for spotting endowment and a vision. That’s however apical players person travel successful that era,” said Amalraj.

He fondly recalled the scenery of the metropolis successful its heyday. “Those days, determination was a coagulated shot civilization successful places similar the Secunderabad cantonment area, Bowenpally, Gandhi Nagar, Ramkrishna Puram, Kamla Nagar and others. Now each of that has sadly vanished,” helium lamented. What helped the City of Pearls beryllium a conveyor loop for endowment was the beardown grassroots structure. “The happening is, the accumulation was there. School- and college-level tournaments were there. A batch of things were happening each the time. Everywhere you looked, determination were tournaments successful those days. That is missing close now, that civilization is missing now,” rued Amalraj. For the 63-year-old, memories of Hyderabad and shot revolve astir the Olympians who represented the state with distinction. “When I look back, the archetypal representation I get is of the Olympians. Peter Thangaraj - treble Olympian; Balaram is besides a treble Olympian. Kannan from Secunderabad, Yousuf Khan, and truthful galore others. That was specified a large clip for the sport,” Alamraj said. In a bittersweet crook of fate, the endowment excavation dried up, a signifier for Hyderabad which coincided with the emergence of teams from shot hotbeds Goa, Kolkata, and the North East. A glimmer of anticipation emerged with Hyderabad FC successful the Indian Super League. The broadside defied each likelihood and outdazzled established giants with its youthful exuberance en way a celebrated title triumph successful 2021-22. For a little second, fans believed that the spark had ignited erstwhile more. 

Alas, it was not to be. The squad has since folded, changed ownership, and moved to Delhi. Top-flight men’s shot itself is successful dire straits successful India, with 2025 marking the archetypal clip since 1996 that premier part shot has not taken spot successful the country. Hyderabad, too, has been near looking for its adjacent section successful the Indian shot scene. “The authorities and firm teams are not there. That is the biggest handicap hurting shot successful Hyderabad,” Shabbir said. That brings america to the present. 

Messi, considered 1 of the top players of each clip (GOAT), is acceptable to onshore successful Hyderabad connected Saturday. He volition beryllium successful the metropolis for a fewer hours, entertain the assemblage astatine the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium for little than an hour, and permission to Mumbai. In a federation smitten by stardom, the anticipation that this circuit mightiness animate the adjacent procreation to instrumentality Hyderabad to its aged glory is understandable, if not logical. 

Will this beryllium the masterstroke that Hyderabad has agelong needed? Or is this conscionable different lawsuit that the metropolis volition devour and determination connected without a 2nd thought? Between these ifs and buts lies the ambiguous limbo of the present. Over to you, maestro Messi. The pursuing tin beryllium added successful a container wrong the storyList of Hyderabad’s achievements Santosh Trophy: 1956, 1957 Rovers Cup: 1950-1954 (Hyderabad Police), 1957 (Hyderabad Police), 1960 (Andhra Police), 1962 (Andhra Police & East Bengal), 1963 (Andhra Police) Durand Cup: 1950 (Hyderabad Police), 1954 (Hyderabad Police), 1957 (Hyderabad Police), 1961 (Andhra Police) DCM Trophy: 1959 (Central Police Lines), 1965 (Andhra Police) Dr BC Roy Trophy: 1966 (Andhra), 1976 (Andhra) Sait Nagjee Trophy: 1958 (Andhra Police), 1950 (Andhra XI) Indian Super League: 2021-22 (Hyderabad FC) Hyderabad was renamed Andhra successful 1958