Subhani Hassimdeen

Subhani Hassimdeen (died 25 November 2023) was a Sri Lankan footballer and coach. He was considered as one of the finest players to have played for Sri Lanka national football team at international level. He was considered as one of the go-to reliable strikers during the time frame between 1965 and 1975.

Biography
He was born in a family of four brothers. He pursued his primary education at Zahira College. He went onto represent Zahira College in both athletics and football. He was born in a family of sports background as three of his brothers also played football representing Sri Lanka. The Hassimdeen family had four brothers - Naheem Hassimdeen, Muzzamil Hassimdeen and Farook Hassimdeen who went onto play top flight football at international level from 1951 to 1986 for record 35 successive years.

Career
He donned the Sri Lanka national team jersey in 1965. He played a vital pivotal role in helping Sri Lanka to secure runners-up finish at the 1968 Agha Khan Gold Cup. He also captained the national side in 1972 at several international tournaments in Malaysia, Singapore and India. He was also a key member of Sri Lanka's famous tours to countries such as Israel, West Germany, England and Iran with his brother Muzammil Hassimdeen. He was also instrumental in assisting Sri Lanka to win the 1970 Southern Quadrangular Football Tournament.

His final international appearance in Sri Lankan colours came during the 1975 Vittal Memorial Trophy Tournament which was held in Tamil Nadu. He scored a match winning goal in the semi-finals of the 1975 Vittal Memorial Trophy Tournament which propelled Sri Lanka to the final. He also played club football playing against the top league foreign clubs including the likes of Nuremberg FC, Essen FC, Pallenberg, Manchester FC, Moscow Dynamo, Dallas Tornados and Macabi FC.

After his retirement from playing career, he transformed into a full-time coach. He was the chief selector at the national level in 1988. He served as a member of the England Coaches Association from 2001 to 2004. He also followed many coaching courses conducted by FIFA and Asian Football Council.

He was also a guest writer for the The Sunday Times newspaper, where he contributed as a football columnist for several years until his health conditions deteriorated due to the age factor.

Death
He died on 25 November 2023 at the age of 77. His funeral was held on 25 November 2023 at the Jawatte Burial Ground in Colombo.