Kolkata, Oct 12 (UNI) Pall of gloom descended in Kolkata
Maidan, the Mecca of Indian football, as a report
Poured in about the untimely demise of India-International midfielder Carlton
Chapman, who was instrumental to earn the erstwhile
National Football League (NFL) both for East Bengal and defunct JCT.
A product of Tata Football Academy (TFA) Chapman was 49.
" Former India footballer Carlton Chapman passed away in Bengaluru
early this morning. He was former
midfielder for JCT Mills and East Bengal. He hung his boots in 2001
and turned to coaching, "
the report said.
Sources said he felt pain at his waist at dawn and was taken to
hospital in Bengaluru where he breathed his
last around 0500 hours.
Former India skipper Carton Chapman was instrumental to earn the NFL
for JCT Mills and East Bengal, the latter was his best
top tier club of his decade old football career across India.
Chapman began his footballing career with Sai Centre, Bangalore in the
mid-1980s. He then played for Southern Blues, a Bangalore club, before
joining the TFA ( Jamshedpur) as a cadet in 1990. He stayed with the
club till 1993 after graduating the previous year, before signing for
East Bengal. He had a fruitful two years at Bengal until signed by JCT
Mills in 1995. In 1993, his first season with Bengal, he scored a
hat-trick against the Iraqi club Al-Zawra at the Asian Cup Winners'
Cup, a match that Bengal won 6–2.
During his spell at JCT Mills, the team won 14 tournaments, with a
team that had I. M. Vijayan and Baichung Bhutia, both of whom are
regarded as India's all-time greats.[6] After one season with FC
Kochin in 1997–98, Chapman returned to his former club East Bengal in
1998. The team won the National Football League under his captaincy in
2001, before he announced his retirement from professional football.
As day progressed in the city of Kolkata, reports of mourning began
pouring from several quarters.
Former East Bengal coach Subash Bhowmick while lamenting the early
demise of Carton Chapman, said the midfielder
was terrific for any opponent and was lovable both on and off the pitch.
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