
AIFF condoles death of former India midfielder DMK Afzal
New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) The All India Football Federation condoled the death of former India midfielder DMK Afzal, who passed away, on Wednesday.
Afzal is survived by his wife.
An excellent midfielder of his times, Afzal was a part of the gold medal-winning India team at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Afzal has two appearances in the India shirt, making his debut against the Republic of Korea in the group stage of the 1962 Asiad.
Condoling Afzal's death, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said, 'D.M.K. Afzal was a fine midfield maestro of his times, and served the beautiful game with the utmost passion and dedication. I
extend my sincerest condolences to his family in this sorrowful hour.'
At the domestic front, Afzal has the distinction of winning the Santosh Trophy with Andhra Pradesh in 1965. With his club, Andhra Police, he won the Durand Cup (1961), Rovers Cup (1962, joint winners), and the DCM Trophy (1965).
He later moved to Kolkata with East Bengal, and won the Calcutta Football League (1966), IFA Shield (1966), Rovers Cup (1967), Durand Cup (1967), Sait Nagjee Trophy (1968), Kerala FA Shield (1968), and the Bordoloi Trophy (1968).
UNI BM
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Club World Cup riches await four African challengers
The four African qualifiers for the revamped Club World Cup in the United States are set to become much richer, no matter how they fare in the 32-team tournament. The bonanza is the equivalent of Sundowns winning nine league titles in South Africa, the African country with the richest football prize money. A win in the group phase will add $2 million, a draw $1 million, and a top-two finish and qualification for the knockout phase $7.5 million. Winners of the premier African club competition, the CAF Champions League, receive $4 million for playing 14 or 16 matches. No side will play more than seven matches in the Club World Cup. Here, AFP Sport looks at the African contenders, all of whom have competed in the Club World Cup when it was an annual seven-club affair. Spaniard Jose Riveiro will make his competitive debut as coach of the Cairo Red Devils when they face Lionel Messi-inspired Inter Miami in the tournament opener on June 14. "The best way to contain Messi is to stop the ball reaching him, but we also have a plan for him when he does receive possession," said Riveiro. He left Orlando Pirates in South Africa in May after a three-season stint in which he won five domestic knockout trophies and reached the 2025 Champions League semi-finals. Ahly have been busy in the transfer market, signing former Aston Villa striker Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan from Turkish outfit Trabzonspor and winger Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed from arch Cairo rivals Zamalek. The Blood and Gold from Tunis will be coached by one of their former stars, Maher Kanzari, after Romanian Laurentiu Reghecampf was axed in mid season having been in charge for only four months. Kanzari delivered a domestic league and cup double, but they made a timid exit from the Champions League in the quarter-finals. Esperance boast a star striker in Algerian Youcef Belaili, whose seven goals placed him second in the Champions League Golden Boot race. The four-time African champions have struggled in previous Club World Cup appearances, finishing fifth twice and sixth once. Sundowns are a club under a cloud after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pyramids recently in a Champions League final they were expected to win. It was the second successive Champions League final loss for Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who was in charge of Esperance when they lost the 2024 final to Ahly. Many Sundowns supporters were unhappy that Cardoso did not use fit-again veteran midfielder Themba Zwane in either leg of the title decider. Sundowns are captained by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who created history at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations by saving four shootout penalties to take South Africa past Cape Verde in a quarter-final. The Casablanca outfit sacked South African coach Rulani Mokwena as the Moroccan season drew to a close after he failed to secure a 2026 Champions League slot for the three-time continental champions. He was replaced by local Mohamed Benhachem, who transformed a team that had drawn six consecutive domestic league matches into one that ended the campaign by winning three in a row. Wydad have signed Burkina Faso midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki from Young Africans of Tanzania and Dutch defender Bart Meijers from Bosnia and Herzegovina club Borac Banja Luka. They are the only African contenders who will not face a Brazilian club in the group phase, but are not expected to advance from a section including Manchester City and Juventus. dl/as


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
'You don't want MS Dhoni behind in a big game...': Shastri compares legendary cricketer's fast hands to a ‘pickpocket'
Two-time World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Monday. The wicketkeeper-batter, who continues to represent Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is for India in a 15-year-long career. During the ICC Hall of Fame ceremony, former India head coach Ravi Shastri gave a hilarious tribute to the 43-year-old, comparing him to a 'pickpocket.' Tipping his hat to Dhoni's wicketkeeping skills and how he has still got it, Shastri said that you would never want someone of his ability behind the stumps in a crucial match because he can change the complexion of the game with either a catch or stumping. Speaking of Dhoni, the right-handed batter is considered to be one of the finest captains India has ever had. Under his leadership, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. In 2011, after 28 years, India won the ODI World Cup as Dhoni played a match-winning knock in the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium. 'He has hands faster than that of a pickpocket. If you're ever in India, going for a big game, especially in Ahmedabad, you don't want MS behind you; watch that back. The wallet will disappear,' Ravi Shastri said during the ICC ceremony. Also Read: MS Dhoni inducted into ICC Hall Of Fame Shastri also praised Dhoni for not letting his emotions get the better of him, saying the latter remains the same whether he scores a century or gets out for zero. "He gets out for zero is the same; he wins the World Cup is the same; he gets a hundred the same, and two hundred the same. There is absolutely, you know, no difference," he added. Under Dhoni, India also dominated the Test rankings for 18 months from December 2009. He also oversaw India's Champions Trophy-winning campaign in the UK in 2013. Dhoni holds the record for captaining his country in the most number of international matches. Regarded as a white-ball great, Dhoni was also named in the ICC's ODI and T20I Teams of the Decade at the end of 2019. Dhoni scored 4876 runs in 90 Tests at an average of 38.08. He also registered 256 catches and 38 stumpings in the longest format of the game. Speaking of ODIs, Dhoni amassed 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57. While in the shortest format of the game, the right-hander registered 1617 runs at an average of 37.60. Across both the white-ball formats, Dhoni afflicted 157 stumpings. He also took 378 catches across both ODIs and T20Is.


New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Chennai girl makes a smashing hit in the US
To taste this milestone, Krishna had to go through a fair bit. Be it getting body shamed for her 'muscular build,' suffering from bad mental health, for the better part of the past decade, Krishna had endured a lot. However, she was determined, and the rewards came along with time. 'Firstly, I learnt that life begins at the end of comfort. After I moved to Jamaica with track and field coach Michael Vessel (from Tenvic Sports, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh) to train further, I missed out on opportunities for scholarships with throws being one centimetre short. That's when I worked really hard and earned myself a full academic and athletic scholarship from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP),' she shared. After a year at UTEP, Krishna moved to UNLV, where the coaches did not just guide, but they held Olympic heritage. Krishna describes her head coach and former Olympic gold medallist in 100m, Carmelita Jeter, as someone who preaches independence. 'Their backing has helped me so much, and has made me a better person,' she said. It has helped in the way Krishna has performed so far in 2025. Earlier, she broke the national record for indoor shot put with a throw of 16.03m at the Mountain West Indoor track and field championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is keen on continuing her purple patch. 'After the outdoor meet in Eugene, I will be working to get myself a spot in both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year,' she added. Krishna has expressed her desire to represent India soon after she meets her academic commitments. 'That is the goal,' she added.