[2] During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Imam who moved to Calcutta[3] and sought shelter in the Mohun Bagan clubhouse with the help of Balai Dey.

The training program saw Imam nurture future national team players such as Ahsanullah Montu, Shafiqul Islam Manik, Arif Abdul Khalek, Shafiul Arefin Tutul, AKM Abdul Baten, Kazi Kamal, AM Abdullah Saik, and Ataur Babu, among others.

[10] In 1983, Imam was given the head coach duty of Abahani Krira Chakra and guided the club to consecutive First Division League titles in 1983 and 1984.

His performances as Abahani coach saw him take charge of the Bangladesh national team for the 1984 South Asian Games held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

In the league-deciding game, Brothers led Abahani 2–0; however, the Sky Blues produced a memorable comeback to win 3–2.

A goalles draw in the final match secured Abahani's third consecutive title as Imam's team finished runners-up.

[12] In 1986, Imam joined Mohammedan SC and finally got his revenge on Abahani, edging his former club to the league title.