Saturday, May 22, 2010

Former Olympian now a forgotten hero

Published Sun, May 23 10 11:43 AM

Tapan Mohanta Kolkata, May 23 (PTI) Former Olympian soccer star Mohammad Abdus Sattar, who was part of the 1951 Asian Games gold winning team and led Mohun Bagan to their maiden Rovers Cup victory in 1955, is today a forgotten man. Sattar, now 84, who did battle for India in many international encounters, suffers from dementia caused by Alzheimer''s disease, confined to bed in his flat near Park Street here, often forgetting his son or wife''s name. He might have suffered memory loss, but he distinctly remembers Mohun Bagan''s name, for whom he played from 1950-58, which had recognised his contribution by conferring him with the "Ratna" (jewel) award in 2008. But since then, the club has hardly remembered the star who played in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, rues his son Aftab. "Ratna toh diye dilen, kintu jatno korchhen ki? (Is the club taking proper care of their jewel?)," he asked. Recollecting his father''s service to football, he told PTI, "In early 1950s, he had a lucrative job with Calcutta Customs which had a team playing in second division. "It was a very big post at that time, but to pursue his dream of playing for India, he quit the job and joined Mohun Bagan. Soon, he got the India break and played with the likes of Shew Mewa Lall under Sailen Manna, as they went on to win the 1951 Asian Games gold in Delhi." .


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