Sushil Bhattacharya Explained

Sushil Bhattacharya
Birth Date:1924
Birth Place:Bagdogra, Bengal Presidency, British India
Death Date:18 July 2015 (aged 90)
Death Place:Kolkata, India
Position:Winger
Clubs1:Town Club
Clubs2:Vidyasagar College
Clubs3:Sporting Union
Years4:1945–1949
Clubs4:East Bengal
Years5:1950–1956
Clubs5:Eastern Railway
Years6:1951
Clubs6:→ East Bengal (loan)
Managerclubs1:Eastern Railway
Manageryears2:1961–1962
Managerclubs2:East Bengal
Manageryears3:1971–1972
Managerclubs3:Tollygunge Agragami
Manageryears4:1975
Managerclubs4:India women
Manageryears5:1975–1977
Managerclubs5:Bengal

Sushil Bhattacharya (1924 – 18 July 2015) was an Indian professional football player and coach,[1] who is credited for becoming the first manager of the India women's national football team.[2] [3] [4] He was also the first head coach in history of East Bengal Club.[5] [6]

Playing career

Born in Bagdogra, Bhattacharya used to play both cricket and hockey beside football. He began his playing career with Town Club in Berhampur, representing the team in IFA Shield.[7] He then appeared with Vidyasagar College and Sporting Union, before signing with East Bengal in 1945.[7] With East Bengal, he achieved the double in 1945 by winning both the Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield.[8] [9] His consistent performances on both flanks in a 3–2–5 formation helped the team achieving success and earned him a national team callup in 1946. He spent four seasons for the "red and gold brigade", played until 1949, refusing Gostha Pal and Abhilash Ghosh's offers of joining Mohun Bagan.[7]

Bhattacharya moved to Eastern Railway in 1949, returning briefly to East Bengal on loan in 1951, for the Durand Cup.[7] At the tournament, they defeated Rajasthan Club 2–1 in final and lifted their first ever Durand Cup. He also appeared with George Telegraph in Calcutta Football League.[10]

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Bhattacharya began his coaching career with Eastern Railway, as an assistant coach.[7] [11] He was deputy of Bagha Shome at the club, which was then consisting players like P. K. Banerjee,[12] [13] [14] Pradyut Barman,[15] Prashanta Sinha,[16] Nikhil Nandy, Pakhi Sen and others.[17] He later became the first-ever permanent "head coach" coach of East Bengal.[7] [18] He won the IFA Shield and Calcutta League with East Bengal in 1961.[19]

Bhattacharya also managed Tollygunge Agragami and helped the team gaining promotion to the CFL first division.[7] He also helped Tollygunge reaching the IFA Shield final in 1971,[7] in which they went down 2–0 to Mohammedan Sporting.[20] [21] He then took charge of different age group teams of Bengal alongside the Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission College football team and Kolkata Veterans Club.[22] During his tenure as coach, he managed players like Tulsidas Balaram, Subhash Bhowmick, Bhaskar Ganguli, Sukumar Samajpati and Krishanu Dey.

In 1975, he came the first-ever manager of the Bengal women's team, and the first-ever manager of the newly formed India women's national football team.[7] [23] [24] He is credited for nurturing Indian women talents like Shanti Mullick,[25] the first ever Padma Shri awardee. Bhattacharya managed Indian women's team when, from 1975 to 1991, the administration was in hands of the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI) and the Asian Ladies' Football Confederation (ALFC).[26]

He was in charge of India S at the 1980 AFC Women's Championship in Calicut, in which they achieved second finish.[27] In the next edition, at the 1981 AFC Women's Championship, India secured third place, and again finished as runners-up at the 1983.[7] He also guided Bengal in Junior, Sub-Junior, Senior Women's National Football Championship and National Games, achieving nationwide success. In 1985, he was appointed head coach of a noted football coaching academy incorporated jointly by Russa United Club and Tollygunge Agragami.[28] He retired from coaching in 2008.[29]

Death

Bhattacharya died of cancer at his home in Tollygunge, Kolkata, on 18 July 2015, aged 90.[30]

Honours

Player

East Bengal[31]

1945

1945

Eastern Railway

Manager

East Bengal[32]

1961

1961

1962

Tollygunge Agragami

India (women's)[7]

Individual

See also

Further reading

Bibliography

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Indian women's football team first coach Sushil Bhattacharya dead. Indo-Asian News Service. business-standard.com. Kolkata. The Business Standard India. 28 July 2017. 23 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20190407195414/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/indian-women-s-football-team-first-coach-sushil-bhattacharya-dead-115071800682_1.html. 7 April 2019.
  2. News: How women's football in India lost its way. Live mint. 28 July 2017. 8 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180808073432/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/G3GPASolirfv2eoEdinjRO/How-womens-football-in-India-lost-its-way.html. 8 August 2018.
  3. Web site: Gender and sport in India: aspects of women's football . https://web.archive.org/web/20050405133624/http://www.indien-netzwerk.de/navigation/frauen/artikel/achaudhuri-womenfootball.htm . dead . 5 April 2005 . Arunava . Chaudhuri . indien-netzwerk.de . 8 August 2018.
  4. [Taylor & Francis]
  5. Web site: Team. Sportstar. 1 August 2020. 100 years of East Bengal: A timeline. Sportstar. 1 July 2021. 29 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210629224925/https://sportstar.thehindu.com/magazine/east-bengal-100-years-indian-football-ifa-shield-cfl-calcutta-football-league-mohun-bagan-kolkata-derby/article32241569.ece.
  6. Web site: The World Sports Today. 1 August 2020. 100 years of East Bengal: A timeline of Kolkata giant's key milestones. The World Sports Today. 29 June 2021. 27 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210627161358/https://theworldsportstoday.com/100-years-of-east-bengal-a-timeline-of-kolkata-giants-key-milestones/.
  7. Web site: Legendary Indian coach Sushil Bhattacharya passes away. 19 July 2015. Kolkata. 22 July 2015. Atanu. Mitra. Goal. www.goal.com. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145235/http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/136/india/2015/07/19/13704072/legendary-indian-coach-sushil-bhattacharya-passes-away. dead.
  8. Web site: History. 18 June 2020. eastbengalfootballclub.com. 9 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609144426/https://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com/history.php.
  9. Web site: 1940S TO 1960S . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329172756/http://eastbengalfootballclub.com/legacy.php?p=1940s-to-1960s. 29 March 2012 . 10 August 2012 . East Bengal Football Club.
  10. Web site: ফুটবলার তুলে আনতে জেলামুখী জর্জ টেলিগ্রাফ স্পোর্টস ক্লাব. insidesports.in. Inside Sports Bengali. bn. District oriented George Telegraph Sports Club to pick up footballers. Kolkata. 18 July 2021. 22 October 2022. 22 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221022070623/https://insidesports.in/archives/1892.
  11. News: WHEN EASTERN RAILWAY RAN ON FULL STEAM (1958) . www.goaldentimes.org . Goalden Times . Chakraborty . Debojyoti . 29 August 2017 . 25 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211111162448/http://www.goaldentimes.org/eastern-railway-ran-full-steam-1958/ . 11 November 2021.
  12. Web site: Indian football legend PK Banerjee dies aged 83 . India Today . 20 March 2020 . 24 March 2020 . 22 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201122133340/https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/india-legend-pk-banerjee-dies-age-83-kolkata-illness-1657810-2020-03-20 .
  13. Web site: P. K. Banerjee Profile — Indian Football Player Pradip Kumar Banerjee Biography — Information on PK Banerjee Indian Footballer. www.iloveindia.com. 27 April 2016. 31 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731173911/http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/football/players/pk-banerjee.html.
  14. Web site: Legends of Indian Football – "Hall of Fame": P.K. Banerjee. www.indianfootball.de. 27 April 2016. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061656/http://www.indianfootball.de/data/halloffame/banerjee_pk.html. dead.
  15. Web site: G. C.. Das. Indian Legendary Football Players Profile: Goalkeeper Pradyut Barman. https://web.archive.org/web/20080914072626/http://www.kolkatafootball.com/kolkatafootball_indian_legend_footballers_profile.html. 14 September 2008. 14 September 2008. 25 January 2011. www.kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football.
  16. Web site: Gautam. Roy. Swapan. Ball. 2007. East Bengal Football Club – Famous Players. 25 February 2009. www.eastbengalfootballclub.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20090221072439/http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com/club/famousPlayers4.asp. 21 February 2009.
  17. Web site: ইস্টার্ন রেলওয়ে ফুটবল ক্লাব — ১৪১ বছরের পুরনো একটি ক্লাবের ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহ্য. Eastern Railway Football Club — History and heritage of a 141-year-old club. archives.anandabazar.com. Anandabazar Patrika. Bengali. 21 December 2013. 24 March 2023. Kolkata. Rajat. Karmakar. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127103722/http://archives.anandabazar.com/e_kolkata/2013/december/anache_kanache.html. 27 January 2022.
  18. Web site: Novy. Kapadia. 14 September 2017. When East Bengal officials 'begged, pleaded, cajoled' team to beat arch-rivals Mohun Bagan. Scroll. 10 September 2021. 10 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210910095947/https://scroll.in/field/850633/when-east-bengal-officials-begged-pleaded-cajoled-team-to-beat-arch-rivals-mohun-bagan.
  19. Web site: Remembering our former player & first-ever professional coach on his 8th death anniversary. . twitter.com (@eastbengal_fc). East Bengal Football Club. 18 July 2023. 18 July 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230718141622/https://twitter.com/eastbengal_fc/status/1681201776970838018. 18 July 2023.
  20. Web site: Arunava. Chaudhuri. List of Winners/Runners-Up of the IFA-Shield. indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. en. 1998. 20 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211007084853/http://www.indianfootball.de/data/ifashield.html. 7 October 2021. dead.
  21. Web site: Mohammedan Sporting Club, Kolkata: A New Horizon IFA Shield archive. Kushal. Chakrabarty. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182733/https://www.kolkatafootball.com/indiafootball_news_2012/mohammedan_sporting_club_history.html. 9 July 2021. kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. 12 July 2012. 1 July 2021.
  22. Web site: ইস্টবেঙ্গলের প্রথম পেশাদার কোচ, না পাওয়ার বাস্তবে এ এক অন্য তথ্যচিত্র!. East Bengal's first professional coach, this is another documentary in reality!. bengali.indianexpress.com. The Indian Express. 14 May 2019. 9 October 2022. Debasmita. Das. Kolkata. bn. 29 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200929010448/https://bengali.indianexpress.com/entertainment/a-documentary-on-sushil-bhattacharya/.
  23. Web site: India's first women's football national team coach Sushil Bhattacharya passed away. 21 July 2015. 22 July 2015. Arunava. Chaudhuri. sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122858/http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/sushil-bhattacharya-india-first-women-football-national-team-coach-dies.
  24. News: Doyle . Jennifer . A World Cup Dream Revives India's Women's Soccer Team . India . NY Times. 28 January 2010 . 7 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010214/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/sports/soccer/29iht-SOCCER.html . 21 February 2017 .
  25. Web site: Women's Asian Cup - When hosts India grabbed the silver medal in 1979 . Goal.com . 14 June 2020 . 19 July 2022 . 19 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220719230812/https://www.goal.com/en-sa/news/afc-womens-asian-cup-2022-when-india-hosted-1979/3x4o01zf2i231so67diuq19jv .
  26. News: How women's football in India lost its way. www.livemint.com. Sidin. Vadukut. Live mint. 28 July 2017. 8 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180808073432/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/G3GPASolirfv2eoEdinjRO/How-womens-football-in-India-lost-its-way.html. 8 August 2018.
  27. 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.
  28. Web site: ভারতীয় ফুটবলের অসুখসমূহ: পর্ব – ২. Diseases of Indian football: Episode – 2. Mithun. Bhowmick. Kolkata. IE Bangla Sports Desk. bengali.indianexpress.com. Indian Express News Service. bn. 15 December 2018. 31 January 2019. 15 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231115165835/https://bengali.indianexpress.com/sports/indian-football-problems-article-part-two-mithun-bhowmick-58095/.
  29. Web site: Indian women's football team first coach Sushil Bhattacharya dead. india.com. Indo-Asian News Service. 18 July 2015. 23 October 2022. Kolkata. https://web.archive.org/web/20151001172701/https://www.india.com/sports/indian-womens-football-team-first-coach-sushil-bhattacharya-dead-466415/. 1 October 2015.
  30. Web site: ইস্টবেঙ্গলের প্রথম কোচ প্রয়াত. www.anandabazar.com. Anandabazar Patrika. bn. First coach of East Bengal passed away. Kolkata. 19 July 2015. 10 October 2022. 16 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220816071947/https://www.anandabazar.com/sports/east-bengal-first-coach-sushil-bhattacharya-dead-1.178613.
  31. Web site: EAST BENGAL CLUB, INDIA – RECORDS, FUNS AND FACTS SUSHIL BHATTACHARYA – THE FIRST COACH OF EAST BENGAL CLUB – 1961. East Bengal Club. eastbengalclubrecords.wordpress.com. 24 November 2014. 9 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609103202/https://eastbengalclubrecords.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/sushil-bhattacharya-the-first-coach-of-east-bengal-club-1961/. 9 June 2019.
  32. Web site: Rith. Basu. 9 September 2012. Champion of champions with cup full of firsts. telegraphindia.com. The Telegraph. Kokata. 15 September 2017. 6 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706122945/https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/champion-of-champions-with-cup-full-of-firsts/cid/1283799.

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