Kingfisher East Bengal FC

Ahmed Khan to unfurl AIFF Platinum Jubilee Flag

Posted on 16/06/12 by Kingfisher East Bengal

Ahmed Khan (L) with Tulsidas Balaram (R) - Photo: Monojit Chanda

AIFF have bestowed the honour of unfurling their Platinum Jubilee Celebrations by a Flag hoisting ceremony at Football House Delhi on the East Bengal and India legend Ahmed Khan on 23rd June,2012.

The barefooted genius made his mark in Indian football by an outstanding performance with the national team in London Olympics in July,1948 and in the European friendlies that followed thereafter. His skills caught the eye of East Bengal supremo J.C.Guha in the Olympic trials in Shillong earlier in the year and he virtually fought with AIFF bosses for his inclusion in the side.

Since then he represented the Country in 1952 Helsinki Olympics, 1951 and 1954 Asian Games, 1953 and 1954 Quadrangular. He was capped eleven times and scored three international goals for India of which two stand out. The first vs European powerhouse Yugoslavia in India's 1-10 loss in Helsinki Olympics and the other vs Burma in the Country's 4-2 triumph in the 1953 Quadrangular at Rangoon.He was an important member of India's Asiad Gold Medal winning team of 1951.

At the club level he started with Bangalore Muslims in 1948 and won the Rovers Cup for them. He joined East Bengal at the behest of Shri J.C.Guha in 1949 and stayed with the club till 1959 being the captain in 1954. It was from this club he rose to become the greatest legend of Indian football.

He was a fantastic dribbler and an outstanding schemer. Not only was he the darling of the fans but thrilled everybody with his skills and prowess while playing barefeet and subsequently wearing boots from 1954. Along with Venkatesh, Appa Rao, Dhanraj and Saleh he formed a crack and lethal striking force for the club and won almost all the major trophies between 1949 - 1953 after which the VADAS (Pancha Pandove) as they were famously called split up.

Ahmed Khan (L), Sankar Pillai (C) and Dhanraj (R) at the East Bengal ground - Photo: Pahari Roy Chowdhury

For East Bengal he won the Calcutta Football League thrice, I.F.A Shield four times, Durand Cup twice, DCM trophy thrice and Rovers Cup once. He also toured USSR and Romania with the club. He scored 68 goals for the club. He switched over to Mohammedan Sporting in 1960 and stayed with them till 1961. In Santosh Trophy he turned out for Mysore and Bengal leading the latter in 1955. He won the trophy four times.

Article written by: Gautam Roy- Media Officer Kingfisher East Bengal