Published: December 14, 2025 at 8:08 am
An evening of glitter, glamour and excitement unfolded at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (RGICS) in Uppal, Hyderabad, on Saturday when the Kohinoor of international football, Lionel Messi, stepped onto the soil of the City of Pearls as Hyderabad was once called. The Argentine superstar is the biggest name in international football to have graced the twin cities.
The fact that he was accompanied by the famous Uruguayan world cupper Luis Suarez and another Argentine star Rodrigo de Paul made the occasion even more special. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy surprised the spectators with his fitness and football playing ability.
Hyderabad’s golden period under the guidance of India’s most successful coach Syed Abdul Rahim
But amidst all the excitement and enthusiasm one should not lose track of reality. The game is in the doldrums at present and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Even the magic of Lionel Messi cannot awaken Hyderabad football from the deep slumber into which it has fallen. It’s really sad because a few decades ago, Hyderabad was the nursery of Indian football. From there, instead of rising higher, it plunged to unfathomable depths.
Hyderabad’s golden period
This is what football expert, the late Novy Kapadia, has written about Hyderabad football: Hyderabad has produced so many legends that one chapter is not sufficient to describe the strength of Hyderabad. A separate book has to be written about football in the city. Hyderabad has produced six captains of India, 14 players who represented India in the Olympic Games and 21 internationals. Hyderabad also produced nine national team coaches and three FIFA referees.
All this happened within a span of roughly 30 years. It was Hyderabad’s golden period which began under the guidance of India’s most successful coach Syed Abdul Rahim. After Rahim, India has tried out so many highly qualified and highly paid foreign coaches but none of them could deliver the results that the humble schoolteacher had done in his heyday.
Syed Mohd Hadi, the first secretary of the Hyderabad Football Association, was a multi-talented man and was himself a Ranji Trophy cricketer and Davis Cup player
The City Police team of Hyderabad had a fearsome reputation. From 1939 until the merger of Andhra, and Hyderabad Football Associations, the club shaped the sporting culture in the region.
Three men were largely responsible for the transformation. One was Syed Mohammed Hadi, the first secretary of the Hyderabad Football Association who was a multi-talented man and was himself a Ranji Trophy cricketer and Davis Cup player. The second man was Syed Abdul Rahim who served the game in many capacities, not just as a coach. The third was Shivkumar Lal, a top ranked police officer who had a great passion for the game and recruited talented players into the Hyderabad City Police.
In 1941, the police club reached the final of the prestigious Stafford Challenge Cup, but a defeat against Bangalore Muslims Club saw the Hyderabad policemen finish runner up.
The first major success came in 1943 when the team won the Ashe Gold Cup final against Bangalore. The HCP established its legendary performance at the national level when it won the Durand Cup against Mohun Bagan. HCP went on to win the Durand Cup four times in total.
Shiv Kumar Lal had a great passion for the game and recruited talented players into the Hyderabad City Police
The HCP also won the Rovers Cup consistently for five years from 1950 to 1954. Several British players regularly donned the jerseys of different participating teams in the Rovers Cup. One such player was the famed cricketer-cum-footballer Dennis Compton, who was more famous as one of England’s legendary Test cricketers.
Hyderabad football’s vanished glory
After the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed and Hyderabad became its capital, the name was changed to Andhra Pradesh Police. They continued to play as Andhra Pradesh Police Football Club and won tournaments like Rovers Cup in 1960 and DCM Trophy in 1965.
HCP was one of the power houses of Indian football and produced some of India’s most noteworthy players such as S K Azizuddin, Noor Mohammed, Syed Nayeemuddin, Anthony Patrick, Yousuf Khan, S S Hakim. At the 1956 Olympics, the Indian team had eight players from Hyderabad. At the 1960 Olympics, the Indian team had seven players from Hyderabad. Those were the best days for Hyderabad but now they have vanished forever.
