Inder Singh (footballer) explained

Inder Singh
Birth Date:23 December 1943
Birth Place:Phagwara, Punjab Province, British India
Position:Forward
Currentclub:JCT Mills
Clubnumber:9
Years1:1962–1974
Years2:1974–1985
Clubs1:Leaders Jalandhar
Clubs2:JCT Mills
Nationalyears1:1962–1975
Nationalteam1:India
Manageryears1:1985–2001
Managerclubs1:JCT Mills

Inder Singh (born 23 December 1943) is an Indian former football player and captain, manager and administrator.[1] He played for Leaders Club of Jalandhar, JCT Mills, and the India national team, predominantly as a forward. He began his senior professional career with Leaders Club in 1962 and moved to JCT Mills in 1974. Playing for Punjab in the Santosh Trophy, he finished the 1974–75 tournament with 23 goals, a record that still stands.[2] He was included in the AFC Asian All Stars team in 1968. He retired as a player in 1985. He had a successful managerial career with Mills from 1985 to 2001, following which he was associated with Mills as an administrator from 2001 to 2011. In 1969, he received the Arjuna Award,[3] [4] in recognition of his contribution to Indian football.[5] Nicknamed "bullet train" by the Japanese for his speed on football field, Singh stuck to his roots and played for the country, declining the offer of representing Malaysia in 1973.

Early life

Singh was born on 23 December 1943, in Phagwara, in the erstwhile Punjab Province of British India. As a student of Government High School, Phagwara, he played for the school at various tournaments, including the All-India School Games in 1960 and 1961. He finished as the top goal scorer and was awarded the 'Best Player' award.

Club career

Leaders Club

Impressed with his talent, Singh was selected by Leaders Club, Jalandhar, as its guest player. He would play exhibition matches for the club and other tournaments as a guest player, until he was signed by the club when he passed out of school. In his first season with the club in 1962 as a senior player, he played in the DCM Trophy in Delhi. The tournament had established and stronger team like Salgaocar, Mysore XI, Mohammedan and Mafatlal Mills playing. Leaders finished the tournament in third place losing only to Mafatlal Mills in the semifinal. For the third place, they beat Mysore XI 4–1. Singh finished as the top scorer for his club. Leaders managed to reach the finals of the Trophy a further four times; 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1971, but lost in the final each time.

JCT Mills

In 1974, Singh left Leaders to join another Punjab-based club, JCT Mills. He had a successful spells with Mills, winning two Durand Cup tournaments, in 1975 and 1983, and reaching the finals five times. Playing last for Mills, he retired from professional football in 1985.

Santosh Trophy

Singh played for his home state of Punjab in the Santosh Trophy. He had a hugely successful 1974–75 Santosh Trophy season captaining Punjab to the title. The team managed by Jarnail Singh,[6] finished the tournament having scored 46 goals, with Singh scoring 23 of them,[7] a record that still stands. The team beat Bengal in the final 6–0, with Singh scoring a hat-trick.

International career

Singh made his debut in the India national team in 1963. He was selected to play in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup in Tel Aviv. In the first game against South Korea, India won 2–0, with Singh scoring for the second goal in the 57th minute.[8] Scoring his second goal against Hong Kong in India's 3–1 victory, he finished as the tournament's joint top scorer with two goals and India finished second.[9] [10] He was awarded the 'Best Right-out' at the tournament. He was part of the team at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, finishing the tournament with one goal as India failed to defend its gold medal from the 1962 Games.

Singh found considerable success at the Malaysian tournament, Merdeka Cup.[11] Making his first appearance in 1964, he finished with two goals, against Cambodia and South Korea. India finished as runner-up in the tournament. In 1967, he was included in the Asian All Stars XI team that played Arsenal in Kuala Lumpur. After missing out for two editions, he came back in 1968 and finished with three goals. He was made the captain for the first time in its 1969 tournament, where India were knocked out after the group stage games, and Singh finished the tournament with a lone goal that came against Singapore. Following an injury he sustained during its 1970 tournament, he sat out of the team for a year. He returned at its 1973 tournament as India's captain and scored a brace over Thailand, with India finishing sixth. Impressed by his performances at the tournament, he was asked to play for the Malaysian national team, by the then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.[12] Singh politely refused the offer saying he would play only for Punjab and India. He made his last appearance for India in 1975.

Career statistics

Selected international goals

Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Goals
27 May 1964 2–0 1
2 June 1964 3–1 1
27 August 1964 4–0 1 [13]
4 September 1964 2–1 1 [14]
12 December 1966 2–1 1 [15]
22 August 1967 1–1 1 [16]
17 August 1968 3–1 1 [17]
29 July 1973 2–0 2 [18]

Post-playing career

Following his retirement of professional football as a player in 1985 with JCT Mills, he went on to manage the club for 16 years, until 2001. During his tenure, the club went on to win the Federation Cup twice in 1995 and 1996.[19] [20] The club also clinched National Football League title in the inaugural season of 1996–97.[21] [22] [23] [24] JCT also won IFA Shield in 1996, first club outside Kolkata to do so.[25] They later participated in Asian Club Championship in 1996–97 and moved to second round before losing 1–2 aggregate to New Radiant of Maldives.[26] Following his spell as a manager of his former club, he was made the Honorary Secretary of the Punjab Football Association, a post that he held from 2001 to 2011.

Honours

India

Punjab

Individual

Awards

1968[33]

See also

Further reading

Bibliography

Cited sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 28th Punjab State Super Football League — Legend Inder Singh to kick-off. kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. 23 August 2014. 31 October 2014. 1 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141101022001/http://www.kolkatafootball.com/punjab_football_league_2014-15/#horizontalTab2.
  2. Web site: Milled into submission. archive.indianexpress.com. Tashi. Lundup. The Indian Express. 27 June 2011. 18 October 2014. 18 October 2014. https://archive.today/20141018082834/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/milled-into-submission/809053/0.
  3. Web site: LIST OF ARJUNA AWARD WINNERS — Football Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. https://web.archive.org/web/20071225221945/http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/awards/arjuna.htm#Football. 25 December 2007. 25 December 2007. yas.nic.in. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
  4. Web site: List of Arjuna Awardees (1961–2018). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India). 12 September 2020. dmy-all. 18 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200718084523/https://yas.nic.in/sites/default/files/LIST%20OF%20ARJUNA%20AWARDEES.docx%2061%20-%2017_0_0.pdf.
  5. Web site: Sengupta, Somnath . Legends Of Indian Football : Inder Singh . thehardtackle.com . 3 July 2013 . 18 October 2014 . 27 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141027003614/http://www.thehardtackle.com/2013/indian-football-inder-singh-jct-punjab-legends/ .
  6. Web site: Legends Of Indian Football: Jarnail Singh. 4 April 2011. 7 October 2022. Somnath. Sengupta. thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Mumbai. https://web.archive.org/web/20220107101542/http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/legends-of-indian-football-jarnail-singh/. 7 January 2022.
  7. http://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/document/TnNZN0pmZi9qSGg1WmNUNWlORzRTVWdyQWlXeHBSdGJYVVdvQXczMk90MD0 Inder steers Punjab to their second triumph
  8. Web site: Indian Football Down the Years: Looking back at the glorious moments. AIFF. Media Team. www.the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. en. New Delhi. 15 August 2022. 20 October 2022. 21 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921011335/https://www.the-aiff.com/article/indian-football-down-the-years-looking-back-at-the-glorious-moments.
  9. Web site: Asian Nations Cup 1964 . . 18 October 2014 . 26 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181226143449/http://www.rsssf.com/tables/64asch.html%20 . live .
  10. Web site: Asian Eye – Indian football still finding its feet :: Total Football Magazine – Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Non-League News. Total Football Magazine. totalfootballmag.com. 3 May 2015. 13 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211213074737/http://www.totalfootballmag.com/features/columnists/asian-eye-indian-football-still-finding-its-feet/. Tim. Alper.
  11. Web site: The Senior National Team at 1969 Merdeka Cup . indiafootball.de . IndiaFootball . 30 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160819215109/http://indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1969merdekacup.html . 19 August 2016 . dead .
  12. Web site: Inder Singh profile . jctfootball.com . 18 October 2014 . 18 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141018095316/http://www.jctfootball.com/aboutUs/famousPlayersProfile.aspx?ProfileCategoryID=6&ProfileID=2&OrderNumber=1 . live .
  13. News: India Rout Cambodia in Merdeka Soccer. 28 August 1964. The Indian Express. 5 July 2018. 17 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210717124937/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19640828&printsec=frontpage&hl=en. live.
  14. News: 20,000 watch India beat South Korea. 5 September 1964. The Indian Express. 7 July 2018. 17 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210717130016/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19640905&printsec=frontpage&hl=en. live.
  15. Web site: Ghoshal. Amoy. Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1966 Bangkok. Sportskeeda.com. 19 August 2014 . 7 July 2018. 12 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200512052903/https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/indian-football-team-at-the-asian-games-1966-bangkok. live.
  16. News: Chinese are so lucky to get decision. 23 August 1967. The Straits Times. 7 July 2018. 7 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180707233012/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19670823-1.1.18. live.
  17. News: India stun Burma in second half. 18 August 1968. The Straits Times. 7 July 2018. 7 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180707232920/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19680818-1.1.21. live.
  18. News: Indians are too fast for the Thais. 30 July 1973. The Straits Times. 7 July 2018. 7 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180707232757/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19730730-1.1.22. live.
  19. Web site: India – List of Federation Cup Winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20140217082516/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/indiacuphist.html. 12 December 2021. 17 February 2014. RSSSF.
  20. Web site: From the history book, roll of honour. 10 January 2015. 12 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20150109234522/https://www.the-aiff.com/news-center-details.htm?id=6148. 9 January 2015. the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. dead.
  21. Web site: India 1996/97 – List of Champions: National Football League. RSSSF. 13 February 2014. Arunava. Chaudhuri. Mikael. Jönsson. Josef. Bobrowsky. 18 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221018092132/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/india97.html.
  22. Web site: Sukalp. Sharma. Indias biggest league. 31 May 2010. 16 July 2021. financialexpress.com. The Financial Express. 18 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210718090105/https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/indias-biggest-league/626797/. dead.
  23. Web site: JCT Mills – JCT Mills Indian Football Club – JCT Mills Club Football India. iloveindia.com. 2014-11-06. 18 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200718235905/http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/football/clubs/jct-mills.html.
  24. News: Fairplay bonus for JCT . 18 October 2018 . The Indian Express . 20 March 1997 . https://web.archive.org/web/19970421012412/http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19970320/07950253.html . 21 April 1997.
  25. Web site: Sengupta . Somnath . The Glorious History Of IFA Shield . thehardtackle.com . The Hard Tackle . 8 March 2011 . 14 July 2021 . 9 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181925/http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/the-glorious-history-of-ifa-shield/ .
  26. Web site: Mukherjee, Soham; Easwar, Nisanth V. How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?. 1 April 2020. 23 March 2021. goal.com. Goal. 15 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415045019/https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/india-clubs-in-afc-champions-league-afc-cup/3dj1qowtkdxc1pzji71c49vnz.
  27. Web site: Arunava . Chaudhuri . The Indian Senior Team at the 1964 Tel Aviv Asia Cup . Indianfootball.de . 20 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002162221/http://www.indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1964asiacup.html . 2 October 2011 . dead .
  28. Web site: The Indian Senior Team at the 1964 Merdeka Cup . indiafootball.de . IndiaFootball . 30 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181122051912/http://www.indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1964merdekacup.html . 22 November 2018 .
  29. Web site: The Indian Senior Team at the 1970 Merdeka Cup . indiafootball.de . IndiaFootball . 30 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160819214747/http://indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1970merdekacup.html . 19 August 2016 .
  30. Web site: Asian Cup: Know Your History — Part One (1956–1988) . GOAL . goal.com . 7 January 2011 . 26 November 2015 . 31 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190531055150/https://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2011/01/07/2293901/asian-cup-know-your-history-part-one-1956-1988 .
  31. Web site: Novy. Kapadia. Memorable moments in the Santosh Trophy. www.sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. 27 May 2012. 7 March 2021. 12 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210412140304/https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/memorable-moments-in-the-santosh-trophy-2.
  32. Web site: National Award winning Footballers. indianfootball.de. IndianFootball. Arunava. Chaudhuri. 2000. 25 January 2019. 1 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181001123849/http://www.indianfootball.de/data/nationalawards.html. dead.
  33. Web site: https://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.nhn?articleId=1968022200329204012&editNo=2&printCount=1&publishDate=1968-02-22&officeId=00032&pageNo=4&printNo=6882&publishType=00020 . ko:서울선 6월26일亞洲올·스타蹴球팀 巡訪경기 . Naver.com . Kyunghyang . 22 February 1968 . 7 September 2020 . ko . 22 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220922092313/https://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.naver?articleId=1968022200329204012&editNo=2&printCount=1&publishDate=1968-02-22&officeId=00032&pageNo=4&printNo=6882&publishType=00020 .
  34. Web site: Was Inder Singh India's greatest forward?. theawayend.co. Kalpanthu's Vuvuzela. The Away End. 22 September 2021. 28 October 2022. K. G.. Raghunandanan. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127151014/https://theawayend.co/2021/09/22/was-inder-singh-indias-greatest-forward/. 27 January 2022.

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