Bangladesh hockey legend Abdus Sadeque died on Saturday morning at Continental Hospital in Gulshan, Dhaka. He was 79.
Sadeque fought a year-long illness before his death. The first janaza prayer takes place Saturday after Asr at Baitus Sobhan Mosque in Bashundhara’s I-block. A second janaza follows Sunday at 10.30am at Banani DOHS Field. His family has asked well-wishers to pray for his forgiveness and for strength during this period.
Sadeque captained the first-ever Bangladesh national hockey team at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. He represented the East Pakistan hockey team from 1964 to 1970 and later earned a place in the Pakistan national side, touring Europe in 1969. Few South Asian sportsmen matched his dual-code career across hockey and football.
In 1972, Sheikh Kamal made him the first football captain of the newly formed Abahani Krira Chakra. Sadeque also captained the club’s hockey team, leading them to consecutive league titles.
He later moved into administration, serving two terms as Bangladesh Hockey Federation general secretary, from 1982 to 1984 and again from 2015 to 2019. He introduced floodlights and electronic scoreboards at domestic hockey venues during his tenure.
The Bangladesh Hockey Federation has mourned his death.
The government recognised his contribution with the National Sports Award in 1996. He received the Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, capping more than five decades in Bangladesh sports administration.
