Indian football legend and former captain Chuni Goswami dies at 82

Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami, one of India’s sporting giants who captained the 1962 Asian Games gold-winning football team, died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest.
 

The versatile sports veteran was 82 and is survived by his wife Basanti and son Sudipto. “He suffered a cardiac arrest and died at the nursing home at around 5pm,” Sudipto said. Goswami was battling underlying ailments, like sugar, and prostrate and nerve problems.
 

Born in undivided Bengal’s Kishoreganj district, which is now in Bangladesh, the striker played 50 international matches, 36 of them official, between 1956 and 1964, including the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He netted 13 goals during his international career.

As India’s football captain, he led the team to the Asian Games gold medal in 1962, and a silver in the 1964 Asia Cup in Israel.

During his cricket stint, he represented Bengal in 46 first-class games between 1962 and 1973. A right-handed middle order batsman, Goswami could also bowl medium pace and was a very good fielder.

Goswami, P K Banerjee, who also died recently, and Tulsidas Balaram formed a deadly forward-line during the ‘Golden Era’ of Indian football.