Sheikh Shaheb Ali

Sheikh Shaheb Ali
Sheikh Shaheb Ali in 1990
Personal information
Full name Sheikh Mohammed Shaheb Ali
Date of birth (1915-07-01)1 July 1915
Place of birth Dacca, Bengal, British India
Date of death 1 June 2004(2004-06-01) (aged 88)
Place of death Dhaka, Bangladesh
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Full-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1938 Dhaka Mohammedan
1939–1944 Victoria
1945–1947 Wari Club
1945 Kolkata Mohammedan
1948–1949 Dhaka Wanderers
1950–1957 Fire Service
International career
1954 Pakistan
Managerial career
Fire Service
1959–1960 East Pakistan
1960–1961 Pakistan
1961–1962 Dhaka Division
1962 Combined University
1963 Pakistan
1964 Dhaka Division
1972–1973 Bangladesh
1979 Bangladesh
1983 Victoria
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sheikh Shaheb Ali (Bengali: শেখ সাহেব আলী; 1 July 1915 – 1 June 2004) was a Bangladeshi football player and coach. He is the only East Pakistani to have both played for and coached the Pakistan national football team. He was the first head coach of the Bangladesh national football team, guiding them at the 1973 Merdeka Cup. He holds the record of coaching Bangladesh to their first ever victory in international football.

Ali was a key member of the Dhaka Mohammedan team that made its First Division League debut in 1938. He also represented the East Pakistan football team both as a player and a coach, while also earning the honor of captaining the side. Later, he guided the team to its first National Football Championship as a coach. From 1960 to 1962, he won two consecutive National Championship titles as the coach of East Pakistan and Dacca Division, respectively.

He also enjoyed a successful career as a FIFA referee, officiating in both domestic and continental competitions. Ali was also a member of the Bangladesh Football Federation following his retirement from coaching. Ali also played a major role in the administration of Kabaddi following the independence of Bangladesh.

Ali received both the Tamgha-i-Khidmat and the Pride of Performance Award from Pakistan, as well as the National Sports Award from Bangladesh, further emphasizing the significance of his contribution to football in the subcontinent.