The President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has condoled the demise of former India skipper Subimal (Chuni) Goswami, who passed away in Kolkata on Thursday.
In a letter to Praful Patel, president, All India Football Federation (AIFF), the AFC president wrote: "I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the legendary former Indian captain Chuni Goswami, who passed away at the age of 82."
"Goswami greatly contributed to the game in India and guided them to their historic Gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games and as runners-up at the memorable 1964 AFC Asian Cup," the letter further stated.
Goswami's biggest achievement was captaining India to the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal when India secured a historic 2-1 victory against South Korea (Korea Republic) in the final to land India its second gold medal in Asian Games history.
"The whole Asian football family joins me in mourning the demise of this icon... convey our condolences and sympathies to his family, friends and football club Mohun Bagan during this difficult time. May he rest in peace!" the letter added.
After making his debut in 1958, Goswami represented India in 36 official international matches, captaining in 16 of them, and netting 13 goals. Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1983.
At the domestic level, Goswami was part of the Bengal's triumphant Santosh Trophy squad thrice - in 1955, 1958, and in 1959. Whereas, at the club level, he represented Mohun Bagan for 15 consecutive years - from 1954 to 1968.
Over the years, he helped Bagan win the Calcutta Football League nine times, the IFA Shield and the Durand Cup five times each, the Rovers Cup thrice, the Dr HK Mookerjee Shield five times, Babu Kuer Singh Shield thrice, and the Ananda Bazar Centenary Trophy once. He won 14 trophies for Mohun Bagan as captain.
Goswami not only did well in the sport of football but also in cricket. He represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and even captained Bengal in the 1968-69 season. During his first-class career as a cricketer, he played 46 matches amassing 1,592 runs, including a century.
In 2005, he was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna and was bestowed the Banga Bibhusan in 2013. The Indian postal department also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday earlier this year.
( With inputs from ANI )