Samrat Hossain Emily was a Bangladeshi footballer of the 1980s. After starting his career as a striker, he moved to the role of an attacking midfielder in the 2nd half of the decade. He is among the few footballers who played with equal success for both the giants Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited Dhaka.[1] Between 1983 and 1988-89 he won a record 6 successive league titles. He also represented the Bangladesh national team from 1982 to 1988.[2]

Emily
Personal information
Full name Samrat Hossain Emily
Date of birth (1966-06-16) 16 June 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth Narayanganj, East Pakistan
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder, Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982 Wari Club Dhaka
1983–1985 Abahani Krira Chakra
1986–1992 Mohammedan SC
International career
1984 Bangladesh U19
1982–1988 Bangladesh
Medal record
Representing  Bangladesh
South Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 1984
Silver medal – second place 1985
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early days

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A product of the Pioneer Football League, Emily got his big break while playing for Dhaka League club Wari AC in 1982. He was specially impressive in the Super League, scoring against Abahani Krira Chakra in the final matchday. Thanks to his goals, Wari finished fourth in the league, their best finish of the decade.[3]

The tug of war

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The beginning of 1983 saw both the Dhaka giants Mohammedan SC and Abahani Krira Chakra engage in a tug of war for his services. At the end he joined the sky blues from Dhanmondi. Initially there were some concerns about his success at Abahani, as the sky blues already had the legendary forward Kazi Salahuddin as their premier striker. However, Emily proved a great success in his debut season combining superbly with both Salahuddin and left winger Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu. In his debut match for Abahani, against Calcutta MSC he scored a superb headed goal.[1]

He won three successive league titles with Abahani between 1983 and 85, but his contribution in the last two seasons suffered due to successive injuries. In September, 1985, he suffered a career-threatening injury while playing against the Pakistan Air Force team at the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After this incident, the club decided to release him.[3]

As a midfielder

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After Abahani released him, he joined their rivals Mohammedan SC in 1986. The first season did not go well for Emily, but he played an important part in winning the league and went on to win three successive titles for them. This saw him become the only player in history to win six successive Dhaka League titles.[1] With the Black and whites he played a different role, as a no 10 and also scored the only goal in the 1987 Federation Cup final against Dhaka Wanderers. Emily eventually announced retirement after the 1991–92 season due to the injury he suffered during his time with Abahani.[4]

International career

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In 1982, he made his international debut playing as an attacker for the Bangladesh Red team, which was the main Bangladesh national team during the President's Gold Cup in Dhaka. Emily played a similar role for the Bangladesh White team during the 1987 edition of the President's Gold Cup. The team mainly consisting of Mohammedan SC players were considered to be the main national team during the tournament.[5] They were led by Badal Roy to the semi-finals before losing to Chinese club Guangdong on penalties. During the tournament Emily found the net once, coming in a 2–2 draw against Thailand, scoring a header from a Badal Roy corner in the 85th minute.[6] He also represented Bangladesh in youth level scoring against Hong Kong U19 at the 1985 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers. Bangladesh won the game 2–0 with Arif Abdul Khalek scoring the other goal.[7]

List of international goals scored by Samrat Hossain Emily
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
16 March 1984 Dhaka Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh   Hong Kong 2–0 1985 AFC Youth Championship qualification
1 19 September 1984 Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal   Maldives 5–0 1984 South Asian Games
2 8 February 1987 Dhaka Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh   Thailand 2–2 2–2 President's Gold Cup

Personal life

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In October 2013, Emily accused, Shamim Osman, the leader of political party Awami League, of physically assaulting him.[8]

Honours

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Abahani Krira Chakra

Mohammedan SC

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Samrat Hossain Emily: The only footballer to win six consecutive league titles for Abahani and Mohammedan". The Business Standard. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024.
  2. ^ টানা ৬ লিগ জয়ের গল্প আছে বাংলাদেশেও. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Looking back into Bangladesh football in the 80s". Weekly Blitz. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. ^ ফুটবলে যা কিছু প্রথম. Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). 27 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ ৩য় প্রেসিডেন্ট গোল্ডকাপ ফুটবল প্রতিযোগিতা ১৯৮৩ (in Bengali). 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  6. ^ প্রেসিডেন্টস কাপ ফুটবলএর ফণীশ্নশা. Krira Jagat Magazine. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-01-07 – via www.facebook.com.
  7. ^ বাংলাদেশ ক্রীড়ালেখক সমিতির পুরস্কার বিতরণী ১৯৮৪. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-01-07 – via www.facebook.com.
  8. ^ সাবেক ফুটবলার এমিলিকে শামীম ওসমানের মারধর!. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 26 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024.
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