O. Chandrashekar Explained

O. Chandrasekhar Menon
Birth Date:	10 July 1935
Birth Place:	Irinjalakuda, Kingdom of Cochin, British India (present-day Kerala, India)
Death Place:	Kochi, India
Position:	Defender
Years1:	1956–1966
Clubs1:	Caltex SC
Years2:	1966–1973
Clubs2:	State Bank of India
Nationalyears1:	1958–1966
Nationalteam1:	India

O. Chandrasekhar Menon (10 July 1935  - 24 August 2021) was an Indian professional footballer who played as a defender.^[1] He represented India at the 1960 Summer Olympics (Rome), the 1962 Asian Games (Gold medal), 1964 AFC Asian Cup (Silver medal), Merdeka Tournament (Silver Medal - 1959 & 1964) and 1964 Summer Olympics (Tokyo Qualifiers).^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Early life and club career

Early life

Born in Irinjalakuda (India), Chandrasekhar honed his football skills at Maharaja's College in Ernakulam (India).

Club career

• Caltex, Bombay: 1956–1966
• State Bank of India

1966–1973

National championship (Santosh trophy)

• Maharashtra: 1956–1966

International career

He was a member of the Indian team in the 1960 Rome Olympics, where India famously held France 1–1 in a game, courtesy of Chandrasekhar and his defensive partners. He 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 Balaram, Peter Thangaraj, Jarnail Singh, and Mariappa Kempaiah, under coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim.^[8] He also captained India in few tournaments.

Manager career

• Chandrashekar became general manager of FC Kochin in 1994–95.

Death

After suffering from age related illness since 2015, O. Chandrasekhar died in Kochi on 24 August 2021. He was 86 years old.^[9]

Honours

International

• 1962 Asian Games
  • Gold Medal
• 1964 AFC Asian Cup
  • Silver Medal^{[10] [11]}
    • Merdeka cup (Malaysia) Silver Medal (1959, 1964)

Domestic

• 1963 Santosh Trophy
  • Champion

Personal

• Selected in Kerala's all time dream team (football)
• Selected as Kerala's top 10 Sports Person of the Century

Bibliography

• Book: Kapadia . Novy . 2017. Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football . Penguin Random House . 978-0-143-42641-7 .
• Book: Martinez. Dolores . Mukharjiim . Projit B. 2009. Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football . . 978-1-138-88353-6 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702174505/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=nbzhAQAAQBAJ&dq=kerala+footballer+in+Burma&source=gbs_navlinks_s . 2 July 2022 .
• Book: Nath, Nirmal. History of Indian Football: Upto 2009–10. 2011. Readers Service. 9788187891963. https://web.archive.org/web/20220722172604/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/History_of_Indian_Football.html?id=QbUFaAEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y. 22 July 2022.
• Book: Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora. 2001. Frank Cass Publishers. London, United Kingdom. 978-0-7146-8170-2. Dineo. Paul. Mills. James. 25 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220725072732/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Soccer_in_South_Asia.html?id=71JHZiiP3hoC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y.
• Web site: Triumphs and Disasters: The Story of Indian Football, 1889—2000. . 20 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120813081005/http://pierretristam.com/pdfs/wc10.pdf . 13 August 2012 . dead.
• Book: Majumdar, Boria, Bandyopadhyay, Kausik . 2006 . Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation . . 9780670058747 .
• Book: Boria. Majumdar. Kausik. Bandyopadhyay. A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629140637/https://books.google.com/books?id=V-sMYjZkpigC&pg=PA69. 29 June 2021. Routledge. 2006. 9780415348355.
• Book: Jaydeep. Basu. Stories from Indian Football. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011131939/https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Stories_from_Indian_Football.html?id=QeovtKLi-1sC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y. 11 October 2022. UBS Publishers' Distributors. 2003. 9788174764546.

Notes and References

1. Web site: O. Chandrashekar . Olympedia . 14 December 2021.
2. News: Olympian and 1962 Asiad winner Chandrasekhar dies Football News - Times of India. live. 25 August 2021. The Times of India. 24 August 2021. en. 25 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825071251/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/olympian-and-1962-asiad-winner-chandrasekhar-dies/articleshow/85596235.cms.
3. Web site: The Indian Senior Team at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Indian Football. 25 April 2015. 12 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190112062814/http://www.indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1960olympics.html. live.
4. Web site: The Indian Senior Team at the 1964 Tel Aviv Asia Cup. Indian Football. 22 February 2021. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002024/http://www.indianfootball.de/specials/india/indianteam/1964asiacup.html. live.
5. News: Ghoshal. Amoy. Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1962 Jakarta. 25 April 2015. SportsKeeda. 18 August 2014. 10 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710160440/http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/indian-football-team-at-the-asian-games-1962-jakarta. live.
6. Olympian Chandrasekharan waiting for new Kochi stadium - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8PwgTUFOyw
7. Olympian Chandrasekharan remembers a football victory - http://www.mathrubhumi.com/tv/Programs/Episode/19565/o-chandrashekaran-remembers-a-football-victory-ee-vazhitharayil-ep-110/E
8. Web site: Sengupta. Somnath. Tactical Evolution of Indian Football (Part Two): Revolution Under Rahim Saab. Kolkata. 13 July 2011. 2021-03-16. thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. en-US. 25 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211025021904/http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/tactical-evolution-of-indian-football-part-two-revolution-under-rahim-saab/.
9. News: Former India footballer Olympian Chandrasekharan dies aged 86 . 25 August 2021 . The Indian Express . 25 August 2021 . en.
10. 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 .
11. 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.