Syed Akber Ali Wahidi was a Pakistani sports statistician, writer, journalist, historian, and media manager for the Pakistan Football Federation. Known as the “Walking Encyclopaedia of Football” in Pakistan, he specialised in football and hockey and wrote about records, statistics, and history. Akber Wahidi was known for his excellent memory and passion for compiling statistics, records, history, and trivia about football and hockey. He was known as the “Walking Encyclopaedia of Football.” His mastery of the beautiful game was so extensive that even international football authorities were forced to acknowledge his exceptional memory and enthusiasm for the game.
He rose to prominence in 2003 when he wrote to FIFA and asked them to fix their records for the fastest goals scored from kick-off in a FIFA World Cup match. He made the observation that, rather than England’s Bryan Robson, who held the second-place record at the time, who scored after 27 seconds against France in the 1982 World Cup, Czechoslovakia’s Václav Mašek, who scored after just 16 seconds against Mexico in the 1962 World Cup, should have been in second place for fastest goalscorer.
FIFA was surprised at this information, admitted their error right away, and thanked Akber Wahidi for his expertise and contribution in an honorary letter. FIFA sent him a special ticket in 2010 so he could attend and cover a 2010 FIFA World Cup match in South Africa at FIFA’s own expense. Subsequently, he declared that attending and witnessing a live FIFA World Cup match in a stadium was his ultimate dream.
Early Life and Education
Born on August 7, 1957, the late Akber Wahidi studied at the esteemed NED University of Engineering & Technology in Karachi to earn his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. However, he chose not to pursue a career in civil engineering and instead concentrated on writing about his one true love: football.
Career
From 1974, Akber Wahidi covered football and sports for the media, penning news pieces in both Urdu and English with fluency. His first big break came when he started writing just for the Urdu magazine “Khel ki Dunya,” which belonged to the late Alauddin Ghauri, a mentor to Wahidi sahib and a sports journalist. Through his interviews and profiles of the many football players and teams in Karachi and the rest of Pakistan, Akber Wahidi gained a lot of admirers in Pakistan’s sports media and football communities for his unwavering dedication to his passion.
In 1992, Akber Wahidi became personally affiliated with the National Football Championship, which was sponsored by Lifebuoy Soap for the first time in Pakistani football history. As the tournament’s media coordinator, Akber Wahidi’s unparalleled coverage of the proceedings made the national media pay close attention to practically every match and every outcome that was seen across Pakistan.
After recognising Akber Wahidi’s extraordinary expertise, writing abilities, and experience, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) appointed him as Media Manager in 2004. He held this position with honour and dedication till his tragic passing.
He was a simple man who, throughout his life, maintained his modesty and humility despite becoming well-known as a sports journalist. He was often offered a higher salary to become the Media Manager of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), but he simply refused each time, citing his passion and dedication to football.
Death
At the special invitation of Rai Saif ur Rehman Bhatti, the event organiser, the late Akber Wahidi travelled to Faisalabad to cover the championship matches of the 21st NBP National Football Challenge Cup 2011. He was found dead in his hotel room on April 25, 2011, at nine in the morning, 8 hours after watching the thrilling semi-final between KRL and Army at Bohranwali Ground on April 24, 2011. The cause of death was identified as cardiac arrest which occurred while he was sleeping. He was 53 years old.