MARGAO
Former India football captain Carlton Chapman, who formed a deadly trio in club football with Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan in the 1990s, died on Monday following a heart attack. He was 49.
A product of the Tata Football Academy, he joined East Bengal in 1993. Most notably, he scored a hat-trick for East Bengal against Al Zawra of Iraq in Asian Cup Winners Cup.
He also donned the colours of Churchill Brothers FC. Under his leadership, India won the 1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup.
After winning hearts with his flawless passes and control at the centre of the park in Kolkata, he left for JCT in 1995. At the now defunct JCT, he won 14 competitions and his spell with the Punjab-based side remains his most fruitful one. Along with Vijayan and Bhutia, they even won the first edition of NFL (National Football League).
In 1997, he joined FC Kochin and after a year with the club, he returned to East Bengal. In the 2000-01 season, East Bengal won the NFL by just a point over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and Chapman was one of the instrumental figures in that squad.
After hanging up his boots, he joined TFA as an instructor. He remained there for six years before taking up the managerial role of Royal Wahingdo in Shillong. Under his tutelage, Wahingdo won three successive Shillong Premier League titles and the Bordoloi Trophy in 2011. In 2017, he took up the role of the technical director of Quartz FC in Kozhikode.
His friends in Goa are still in a state of shock and paid tributes to the former footballer.
“He was a fantastic human being and it feels very sad to hear about the news of his death at such an early stage. We played together for India in Pre World Cup qualifiers and Nehru Gold Cup in 1996 and 1997 and I have a lot of nice memories of him,” former India defender Roberto Fernandes said.
“Carlton Chapman was one of the best that I played during my time. Sad to learn that a footballer adored by everyone during his peak passed away so young,” said Gasper Crasto, former Salgaocar and Goa footballer.
Climax Lawrence, former India captain, described Chapman as a jovial person always smiling and ready to help other footballers. Alex Ambrose, assistant coach of India Under-17 women's team, said, “Carlton bhai was a great footballer and a wonderful person. A legend well known in Indian football, always volunteering to help whenever someone was in need. It’s hard to believe that he is no more.”
“Very sad to hear about his death. He was too young to go. He was a fantastic midfielder of his generation and one of the best products of Tata Football Academy,” said Clifford Miranda, assistant coach of FC Goa.
