Satyajit Das Rupu

Satyajit Das Rupu
Personal information
Full name Satyajit Das Rupu
Date of birth (1964-09-05) 5 September 1964
Place of birth Chittagong, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Positions
Youth career
1981 Bangladesh Boys
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1983 Little Friends
1984–1985 Farashganj
1986–1991 Dhaka Abahani
1992–1994 Brothers Union
1995 Mohammedan
1996–1999 Muktijoddha Sangsad
International career
1986–1995 Bangladesh
Medal record
Representing  Bangladesh
South Asian Games
Silver medal – second place1989
Bronze medal – third place1991
SAFF Championship
Runner-up1995
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Satyajit Das Rupu (Bengali: সত্যজিৎ দাস রুপু; born 9 September 1964) is a retired Bangladeshi footballer who played as a midfielder. He represented the Bangladesh national team between 1986 and 1995.

He served as Team Manager of Dhaka Abahani from 2002 to 2023, and again from 2024 to 2026.[1][2]

Early life

Rupu was born in Patharghata, Chittagong, to Rabindra Narayan Das, a government employee with the Sadharan Bima Corporation, and Minti Das, a homemaker. He grew up as an Dhaka Abahani supporter, and regularly played football at the St. Placid's School ground in Chittagong.[3]

In 1976, following his father's transfer, his family moved to Gopibagh, Dhaka. While studying at Narinda Government High School, he began training under Farshad Babu at the Brothers Union ground, where he progressed through the local youth setup known as "Little Brothers" as a left-footed midfielder. In 1981, Rupu made his competitive debut in the Pioneer League, representing Bangladesh Boys Club, which primarily included players from "Little Brothers".[3]

Club career

Rupu and his teammates pooled earnings from local tournaments, along with financial support from Farshad Babu, to purchase the struggling Third Division club BH Welfare for around Tk 30,000–40,000. The club was subsequently renamed Little Friends Club, and Rupu and his teammates competed for it in the Third Division. Little Friends later earned promotion to the Second Division. In 1984, Rupu was one of the four Little Friends players to join First Division club Farashganj SC.[3]

Following his goal in a 5–2 defeat to Dhaka Abahani in the 1985 First Division, Rupu attracted interest from the club, which he supported since childhood. Although informal contact had been made earlier through Abahani's Samrat Hossain Emily, the transfer was finalized in December while Rupu was with the Bangladesh Green team for the 1986 President's Gold Cup. Abahani officials Harun Ur Rashid and Tanvir Mazhar Tanna visited the team hotel, signed him on the spot, and paid him a transfer fee of Tk 200,000. He initially played as left-back at Abahani before securing a place in midfield, and serving as vice-captain from 1987.[3]

Following the departure of F. I. Kamal early in the 1989 season, Rupu was appointed captain of Abahani. He led the club to the 1989–90 First Division title, as well as victories in the 1989 Sait Nagjee Football Tournament, the 1990 Independence Cup, the 1990 Azmiri Begum Gold Cup, and the 1991 BTC Club Cup, captaining the side throughout each triumph. Nevertheless, Rupu would depart in 1991, joining Brothers Union, where he would win the 1991 Federation Cup.[3]

In 1995, Rupu joined Mohammedan, where he spent one season before retiring with Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, with whom he won the league title in the 1997–98 season.[3] He played his final match on 4 August 1999 in a Premier Division fixture between Muktijoddha and Abahani at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, playing the first 23 minutes before being substituted by Bhaktiar Uddin.[4]

International career

Rupu was a member of the Bangladesh Green team at the 1986 President's Gold Cup under coach Abdul Hakim. Later that year, Abdul Hakim, who had taken charge of the national team, included Rupu in the Bangladesh national team squad for the 1986 Pakistan President's Gold Cup in Karachi.[3]

Rupu was also a member of the national team at the 1987 South Asian Games, 1988 AFC Asian Cup qualification, 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification, 1989 South Asian Games, 1991 South Asian Games, 1992 AFC Asian Cup qualification, 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, and 1993 South Asian Games.[5] He scored his first and only international goal in a 3–1 victory over Thailand during a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 8 March 1989.[6]

He was also a member of the Muktijoddha Sangsad KC team that represented Bangladesh at the 1994 Qatar Independence Cup.[7] Rupu played his final international tournament as captain of Bangladesh at the 1995 SAARC Gold Cup under South Korean coach Kang Man-young. The team were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing 4–2 on penalties to India following a goalless draw.[3]

Administrative career

Rupu served as the secretary of Little Friends Club for 14 years. In 2002, Dhaka Abahani chairman Kazi Shahid Ahmed appointed him as the club coordinator, and in late 2003, he was promoted to the position of club manager, a role he held continuously until 2023. He was reappointed as the club manager in 2024 and served till 2026. Rupu attained an AFC C coaching licence in 2006. He became a member of the Bangladesh Football Federation's executive committee following the elections held in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2024.[3] He also served as the long-term team manager of the Bangladesh national team.[8][9]

Career statistics

International goals

Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
List of international goals scored by Satyajit Das Rupu
1.8 March 1989Dhaka Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh Thailand3–03–11990 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Dhaka Abahani

Brothers Union

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC

Bangladesh

References

  1. ↑ "রেকর্ড গড়লেন রুপু". Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). January 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Satyajit Das Rupu". Sonali Otit Club, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "পুনর্জন্মেও ফুটবলারই হতে চাই". Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Mukti-Abahani play to Mohammedan's order". The Daily Star. 5 August 1999. p. 13.
  5. ↑ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Satyajit Das Rupu". national-football-teams.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  6. ↑ "সাব্বিরের ওপর যেদিন ভর করেছিলেন 'ম্যারাডোনা'". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Iqbal, Nair (25 September 2017). ক্লাবই যখন খেলেছে 'বাংলাদেশ' নামে. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "রুপু বলছেন দল গঠনে তিনি হস্তক্ষেপ করেননি". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  9. ↑ "আবার সেই সাফে ম্যানেজার হলেন রুপু". Dhaka Post (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
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