Former India footballer Olympian Chandrasekharan dies aged 86

Chandrasekharan, who played as a defender, was a member of the Indian team in the 1960 Rome Olympics, the last time the country participated in football at the Games.

Former India footballer O Chandrasekharan, popularly known as Olympian Chandrasekharan in his home state Kerala, died at the age of 86 in Kochi on Tuesday. He had been suffering from dementia for a decade or so.

Chandrasekharan, who played as a defender, was a member of the Indian team in the 1960 Rome Olympics, the last time the country participated in football at the Games. India famously held France 1-1 in a game, courtesy Chandrasekharan and his defensive partners. His death comes just days after SS Hakim, another one from that Olympics team, passed away.

Chandrasekharan was also part of Indian teams that won gold in the 1962 Asian Games, silver in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, silver in the Merdeka Tournament (1959 and 1964). He played alongside some of the greatest names in Indian football like PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, Tulsidas Balaraman, Simon Sunderraj, Peter Thangaraj, Jarnail Singh, and Mariappa Kempaiah.

Born in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, Chandrasekharan honed his football skills at Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam and went on to play for Caltex in Mumbai from 1956. After his retirement from international football in 1966, he played for the State Bank of India. He was also the captain of the Maharashtra team that won the Santosh Trophy national championship in 1963.

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