At his small flat in Uttarpara overlooking the Hooghly river, legendary India forward Tulsidas Balaram on Saturday woke up to the “devastating" news of the death of his one-time illustrious teammate, Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee.
But he had gathered his thoughts by the time PTI got in touch with him, saying “what’s the point of living when FIFA has banned India and our football is going through its worst days".
After Banerjee’s demise, Balaram remains the only surviving member of the Melbourne 1956 Olympics, where India achieved a historic fourth-place finish.
The 92-year-old Banerjee, who led India at the 1956 Olympics, died in the early hours of Saturday after a prolonged illness.
In a candid interaction with PTI, the 86-year-old Balaram said, “My captain has now left me alone. I’m so lonely out here now."
“We were the last two surviving members of the 1956 Olympics. What is the point of living now — to see the worst days of Indian football?" he asked.
“I got the information in the morning only and I’m shocked. Of late, we were hardly in contact as he was also not keeping well. But it feels really sad and lonely now."
The immediate impact of the FIFA ban was felt by Gokulam Kerala who were not allowed to compete at the AFC Women’s Club Championship in Uzbekistan.
The timeline for the ban has not been set, but India’s hosting of the Women’s Under-17 World Cup from October 11 may be jeopardised if the house is not set in order at the earliest.
In the space of two and half years, Balaram has also lost his former partners PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami, who formed the famed triumvirate of the 1950s and 60s under legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim.
Known for making dangerous inroads inside the box, Balaram troubled Hungary’s defence and scored a late goal in the 1960 Rome Olympics in their 1-2 defeat. In the next match, India were held to a 1-1 draw by France after a late strike.
“Nothing is left in Indian football anymore. Can it get anything worse than this ban? We gave our blood, fought so hard for the Indian national team but what have we got in return — a ban," said Balaram, a runner-up at the 1959 Merdeka Cup.
“No one is bothered about Indian football these days. Nobody is trying to develop Indian football. Our football is on a downward spiral since the death of (former presidents) Manindra Nath (Bechu) Dutta Ray and K Ziauddin and (coach Syed Abdul) Rahim Saab. The country is going backwards day by day," he concluded.
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