Football legend Chuni Goswami dies

Former India football captain ChuniGoswami, who led India to the 1962 Asian Games gold, passed away in Kolkata on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

ChuniGoswami was the most successful Indian football captain ever and under his captaincy, India won the gold medal in 1962 Asian Games, finished runners-up in 1964 Asian Cup, and narrowly lost to what was then Burma in Merdeka football six months later.

The iconic sportsperson, who also played first-class cricket for Bengal, was 82 and breathed his last at a hospital here. He is survived by his wife Basanti and son Sudipto.

"He suffered a cardiac arrest and died in the hospital at around 5pm," a family source said.

Goswami was suffering from underlying ailments, including sugar, prostrate and nerve problems.

Goswami played 50 matches for India as a footballer from 1956 to 1964. As a cricketer, he represented Bengal in 46 first-class games between 1962 and 1973.

Born on 15 January 1938, in the Kishoreganj district of undivided Bengal (now Bangladesh), Subimal (Chuni) Goswami began his professional career with local giants Mohan Bagan FC in 1954 as a junior player. In college, he captained the Calcutta University teams in both football and cricket.

 

Dhaka/Mukul