Harunur Rashid

Harunur Rashid was a Bangladeshi sports administrator best known as the founding general secretary of Abahani Limited, one of Dhaka's most storied football and cricket clubs, and as a former general secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). He died on 10 November 2026 at the age of 77.

Rashid came into sports administration in the years immediately following Bangladesh's independence in 1971, when he helped establish Abahani Krira Chakra. As the club's founding general secretary, he was closely involved in building it into one of the country's dominant football and cricket institutions. He later became an Abahani director, a post he held for decades, and <cite index="1-4">as Abahani's founding general secretary, he put a significant contribution to football in the country until the club turned into a limited company in the early 90s, but he remained a key member of Abahani.</cite>

Beyond Abahani, Rashid rose through the ranks of national football administration. <cite index="1-5">He also served as BFF general secretary before playing the role of an executive member numerous times.</cite> His influence extended to international football governance as well. <cite index="1-7">He served as an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive member from 1997 to 2000 and worked in FIFA's Media Committee.</cite> <cite index="1-8">Achieving the AFC Golden Award as an organiser was one of his international recognitions.</cite> Within Bangladesh, <cite index="1-6">as a politician, sports organiser and social worker, Harunur Rashid was known across the country, and he was awarded the National Sports Award for his contribution to the country's sports.</cite> He also received a lifetime achievement honour from the revived National Sports Council Awards in recognition of his decades in sport.

Rashid died in the early hours of Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at a hospital in Dhaka. <cite index="1-2,1-3">He had been on life support for a few days at the hospital, having suffered from different complications for a long time.</cite> <cite index="1-3">His death cast a shadow of grief over the country's sporting fraternity, as he had been a dedicated organiser involved in sports since independence, especially with Abahani Limited.</cite> <cite index="1-9">His namaz-e-janaza was held the same day at his beloved Abahani ground in Dhanmondi after Zuhr prayer.</cite>

Harunur Rashid's legacy rests chiefly on his role as a founder and long-serving custodian of Abahani Limited at a time when organised club sport was taking shape in a newly independent Bangladesh, and on his subsequent decades of service to national and regional football administration through the BFF and the AFC.