Legendary football coach Amal passes away

The former India international was one of the most revered club coaches in Indian football history and was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease of late.

Former India international Amal Dutta,who was also the first professional football coach of the country, passed away in his Kolkata residence on Sunday evening. He was 86.

The veteran was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for the last few months and was bedridden. However, a short bout of respiratory problems gave the medics no chance on Sunday as he breathed his last before the doctors could be summoned.

A dependable midfielder during his playing days, he was part of the India squad in the 1954 Asian Games.

However, the diminutive personality emerged as one of the most important figures of Indian football while being in charge of Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. His rivalry with fellow coach Pradip Kumar Banerjee was one of the major talking points in Indian football for almost three decades.

He won almost all major trophies in Indian football and served as the technical director of Indian national team in late eighties. His last stint at the helm of a club a decade back when he took charge of Mohun Bagan but resigned midway into the season.

Indian football lost a guardian on Sunday and lost of one of its most colourful characters. The shoes are too big to be filled.