Former India captain Carlton Chapman passes away

New Delhi: Former India captain Carlton Chapman passed away on Monday. He was 49.

As per goal.com, he died reportedly after suffering a heart failure in Bengaluru.

Chapman, a product of the Tata Football Academy (TFA), was one of the leading midfielders in the country during his playing days. He joined TFA in 1990 and three years later, he joined East Bengal and scored a hat trick for them against Al Zawra of Iraq in Asian Cup Winners Cup.

During his spell at JCT Mills which started in 1995, the team won 14 tournaments. After one season with FC Kochin in 1997-98, Chapman returned to East Bengal in 1998. The team won the National Football League under his captaincy in 2001, before he announced his retirement from professional football.

For India, He played as a midfielder between between 1995 and 2001 and also captained the side.

Following his retirement, Chapman coached the TFA team, then in I-League 2nd Division, from 2002 to 2008. He was signed in December 2002 on a one-year contract as an assistant to head coach Ranjan Choudhary and assistant coach Vijay Kumar.

In December 2017, Chapman was appointed the Technical Director of the Kozhikode-based Quartz International Football Academy.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has condoled the untimely demise of former India captain Carlton Chapman.

AIFF President Praful Patel, in a statement, said: "It's sad to hear that Carlton Chapman is no more. His contribution to Indian football will never be forgotten. I share the grief."

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das added: "Chapman was a gifted player. He even inspired so many youngsters through his coaching. May his soul rest in peace."

Under Chapman's captaincy, the Indian team went on to win the SAFF Championship trophy in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1997. He scored six goals for the Indian team in thirty-nine matches, including five matches when he led the side. He was part of the triumphant India side which won the SAF Games (1995) in Madras, Nehru Cup (1997) in Kochi and SAFF Championship (1999) in Margao.

At the club level, he began his career with Tata Football Academy in 1991 before moving to East Bengal two years later. During his stay in East Bengal, he scored a hat-trick against Iraqi club Al Zawra at the Asian Cup Winners' Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in 1993.

In 1995, he switched to JCT Mills. He was an integral part of their maiden NFL-winning-campaign in 1997 under the coaching of Dhyan Chand Awardee Sukhwinder Singh. Also, he was part of the treble-winning JCT Mills team which won the Federation Cup, IFA Shield and Durand Cup in 1996. Next year, he lifted the Durand Cup trophy again with FC Kochin.

During his stay in East Bengal, he won the Calcutta Premier League four times (1993, 1998-2000), IFA Shield twice (1994, 2000), Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, Kalinga Cup once apiece besides the National Football League in 2001 before hanging up his boots.

At the domestic level, Chapman won the Santosh Trophy thrice (1993-94, 1998) with Bengal besides representing the state on two more occasions (1999, 2000). Incidentally, he scored the first golden goal in the history of Santosh Trophy, which came against Goa in 1995.

His coaching career started at the Tata Football Academy in 2002. Later, he coached Royal Wahingdoh, Bhawanipore FC, Student's Union FC, Sudeva FC. Recently, he was appointed as the Technical Director of Quartz FC, a club based in Kozhikode.