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Former India international and East Bengal midfielder Carlton Chapman passed away at the age of 49 in the early hours of Monday morning following a heart attack.
A prominent box-to-box midfielder, Carlton Chapman was a part of the Indian football team that won the 1997 edition of the South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup.
He has played alongside some of the greats of Indian football such as Bhaichung Bhutia, Jo Paul Ancheri and IM Vijayan. He was also an important part of the side that defeated Maldives 5-1 in the Federation Gold Cup final.
Carlton Chapman, who hails from Bengaluru, was part of the Tata Football Elite Academy, where he was the first-ever graduate, before making the move to JCT Mills. It was his two years at the club that made him famous and earned him a national team call-up. In fact, he played alongside Bhutia and Vijayan in JCT and went on to secure 14 titles in just two years before moving on to East Bengal FC.
His most memorable moment for East Bengal came when he smashed a hat-trick against Iraqi Al-Zawara in an Asian Cup Winners' Cup match, thereby helping his side secure a 6-2 victory.
Carlton Chapman: An adept coach
Following his retirement, Carlton Chapman had been around the blocks as a manager and a team director. He returned to his old stomping grounds by taking over the management reins of the Tata Football Academy, eventually moving on to higher-profile clubs such as Royal Wahingdoh.
His time as the manager of Royal Wahingdoh was hugely successful as he led the team to three successive Shillong Premier League titles before making the move to Bengaluru-based club Quartz FC. He has also served as the technical director of Quartz FC.
In the recent past, Carlton Chapman, along with former Indian national teammate Harjinder Singh, were involved in a grassroots program by the Delhi Football Association.
Following reports of his passing, there has been an outpour of tributes from several well-wishers and clubs, most notably East Bengal FC where he made a name for himself.
