Five tragic deaths in Indian football

Football is the most popular game in the world. Universally referred to as the beautiful game, football is played by millions of people and watched by billions around the world each year, making it the most watched sport across the globe. In terms of TV ratings, sponsorship, visibility and fans-players engagement, no other sport is anywhere near the beautiful game.

Football also serves to bring different people and cultures together and can even bring enemies together, as witnessed in the Ivory Coast, when the national football team aided warring parties to come to a truce. On the other hand, football is no stranger to tragedies and disasters.

Yes, the beautiful game is some time really a matter of life and death. As per records, football is no stranger to death. Indian football also has seen several on and off the field the field tragedies. Here we look at five such incidents that happened in the Indian football circle.

The Kolkata Derby Tragedy (August 16, 1980)

The Kolkata derbies is the most watched football game in India. The derby between Indian football giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan is no stranger to riots as well. For the fans, it's more than just a game.

They are so emotionally attached to these clubs and their acts are sometimes so strange, that they are even ready to sacrifice their life too. They want to show their loyalty to the club at any cost.

A Kolkata derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in 1980 witnessed the worst mishap in Indian football history. The Calcutta Football League outing was taking place at the Eden Gardens.

Eden Gardens was the hub of Kolkata football back then as the Salt Lake Stadium was only inaugurated in 1984. Interestingly, both teams had to play their match with 10 men as Mohun Bagan winger Bidesh Bose was shown a red card and as a balancing act, the referee gave the marching orders to East Bengal defender Dilip Palit as well.

After the match finished in a one-goal draw, the fans who were disappointed with the results and some on-field verbal disputes, created chaos in the stands. They broke police barricades and at that time the security measures were not as tight as now. Fans were thrown from upper stand to lower concrete stands and the police could not control the aggressive fans.

Ultimately the worst woe in Indian football history cost lives of sixteen young football fanatics.

Cristiano Junior (December 5 2005)

Enter — Cristiano Junior with Ranti Martins

It was a Federation Cup final match between Dempo and Mohun Bagan at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore and moments after Cristiano scored his second goal in the match to give a thumping 2-0 lead for the Goan outfit in the final, he, unfortunately, left the world.

While scoring his second goal, he collided with then Bagan goalkeeper Subrata Pal and became unconscious and was lying on the ground motionless for about fifteen minutes. There was no proper medical assistance available at the stadium and complete negligence from the organisers, the Karnataka Football association, cost a life as they brought him to Hosmat hospital instead of Mallya Hospital, which was next to the Kanteerava stadium.

Subrata Pal was quoted as saying that he was trying to stretch the ball in order to save the goal and he never intended to hurt the Brazilian. But football pundits allege that his action came out of frustration in the dying minutes of the match as his side was losing the final.

Dempo SC retired their jersey number 10 in the memory of the player.

D Venkatesh (March 21 2012)

A 27-year-old footballer D Venkatesh died on the field after collapsing during a league match at Bangalore Football Stadium.

He was playing as a midfielder for A-division side Bangalore Mars and incidentally, he came as a substitute in the 72nd minute. Karnataka Football Association once again failed to provide basic medical facilities at the stadium. Apparently, there was no doctor and ambulance at the stadium where the Bangalore District Football Association League match was going on.

Players and staff had to carry him in their arms off the field and hired a rickshaw and as soon after they reached the hospital, he was declared as dead. According to doctors, he could have been rescued if proper medical assistance and oxygen gave at the time of the incident.

This incident once again puts concern over poor medical facilities provided at the time of football matches and of course the act of negligence from concerned football governing bodies.

Ashoke Maity (December 6 2016)

Ashoke Maity a 33-year-old footballer died of a stroke during the Maharashtra League match. He was about to take a tiebreaker shot for his team Tarun Sporting in the second division of the Maha League. After the shot, he fell to the ground and became unconscious.

But sadly, there was no doctor and no ambulance either. The people who were present at the ground had no idea about proper first aid and all these factors once again cost a precious life of a man who was working in the gold manufacturing area at Zaveri Bazar in Mumbai.

He was an ardent football fan who used to play football whenever he got time. And sadly, the robust passion for the game takes his last breath away.

Peter Biaksangzuala (October 19 2015)

Peter Biaksangzuala, a hard-working defensive midfielder from Mizoram died after falling on his head while trying a somersault celebration after he scored for Bethlehem Vengthlang FC in the Mizoram Premier League.

According to sources, he was trying to emulate German great Miroslav Klose, who always celebrated like this after scoring. During the first-ever Indian Super League match as well, we witnessed such an acrobatic celebration from Fikru Teferra.

But unfortunately, Peter mistimed his landing and his head took the brunt of the fall. According to doctors, his spinal cord had been severely damaged and on the fifth day at the hospital, he was declared as dead. He donated his eyes during the stay at the hospital as per some reports and in memory of him, the club has retired the #21 jersey

Edited by Shraishth Jain