Maken recommends Rahim for honours

NEW DELHI: The sports ministry has recommended a posthumous Padma award for late Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.
Rahim, who had been India's coach during the glory days of the 1950s and 1960s, had been credited with creating a pool of legendary players which included luminaries like Rehmatullah, Peter Thangaraj, PK Banerjee, Balaram, Chuni Goswami and Yusuf Khan.
"He deserved it (Padma award) a long time ago. I'm not saying it because he is my father, but because he has a creditable record as India coach," said SS Hakim, also an Olympian and a former FIFA referee.
This is the first time that Rahim's name has been recommended to the home ministry, by sports minister Ajay Maken.
Rahim had been India's coach when the team won the first Asian Games gold (Delhi, 1951) and the second at Jakarta in 1962.
Besides, the team also finished fourth in the 1956 Olympics, India's best result in the Games.