PK Banerjee, footballer extraordinaire, finally hangs up his boots
Together with Chuni Goswami and Tulsidas Balram, Banerjee sparkled in the frontline in an era of Indian football when it did much better than it would even hope to today.
Legendary footballer and member of the Indian team which had won the gold medal in 1962 Asian Games, PK Banerjee breathed his last at the Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata on Friday after losing an elongated battle against chest infection.
He was admitted to the hospital on February 6 due to severe chest infection and his condition deteriorated since then. Furthermore, he was put into ventilator on Monday night due to his fluctuating state of health.
According to a PTI report, Banerjee was treated by a panel of specialists which includes pulmonologist Dr. Nandini Biswas, internal medicine and intensivist Dr. Tanmoy Banerjee. He was also being supervised by a team of Neurosciences under the care of Dr. L N Tripathy and Dr. Sunandan Basu.
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The former Indian captain had led the national team in the 1960 Rome Olympics. In one of the matches against a formidable French side he had netted the equaliser to earn Indian a memorable result.
He had also scored in the Chuni Goswami-led India’s 2-1 win against South Korea in the final of the 1962 Asian Games.
The former Railways player represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and played an important part in India’s 4-2 victory over Australia in the quarter-finals.
After retiring as footballer, Banerjee kept himself associated with the game on coaching grounds. He managed both the Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, before coaching the national team. He remained the national coach till 1986.
His contribution to Indian football was also recognised by FIFA. The international governing body awarded him Centennial Order of Merit in 2004. Banerjee has also won International Fair Play Award from the Olympic Committee, an achievement that no other Indian footballer has earned.
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