Former India football team captain Samar Banerjee, who led the country to a fourth-place finish in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died in Kolkata on Saturday. The 92-year-old Banerjee was battling a prolonged illness. He is survived by daughter-in-law. Banerjee was suffering from Alzheimer’s, Azotemia and high-blood pressure-related ailments. He was admitted to a private hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 where he breathed his last.
“As his health deteriorated, he was shifted to SSKM Hospital. This was under the supervision of state sports minister Arup Biswas. He breathed his last around 2.10 am,” Mohun Bagan secretary Debasish Dutta told PTI.
Rest in Peace Captain.. 💐Samar Banerjee leaves us for the heavenly abode. He was captain of the 1956 Olympics team, in which India finished 4th 💙🇮🇳
Our condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/akVynRMCtg— Blue Pilgrims 🇮🇳 (@BluePilgrims) August 20, 2022
“He was our beloved ‘Badru Da’. We had bestowed him with the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2009. It’s another loss for the Maidan,” he added in his condolence message. The Banerjee-led 1956 Olympic side finished fourth after losing to Bulgaria 0-3 in the bronze medal playoff. The Syed Abdul Rahim-coached side with the likes of PK Banerjee, Neville D’Souza and J ‘Kittu’ Krishnaswamy, defeated Australia 4-2. But the team failed to make the final after going down 1-4 to Yugoslavia in the last-four stage.
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AIFF condoles the demise of Samar 'Badru' Banerjee
Read 👉 https://t.co/NQscrabLWO#RIP #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/0BST8mzUH2
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) August 20, 2022
Besides guiding Mohun Bagan to several trophies, including their first ever Durand Cup (1953), Rovers Cup (1955), Banerjee has also won the Santosh Trophy twice as a player (1953, 1955) and once as a coach (1962). He also served India as a selector.
