KOCHI: T A Jaffar, who won the Santosh Trophy national football championship for Kerala both as a player and coach, passed away in Kochi on Sunday. He was 79. A Fort Kochi resident, he had been under treatment for the past three months at various hospitals after having suffered a stroke.
Jaffar was the vice-captain when Kerala won the Santosh Trophy for the first time in 1973. A good reader of the game with excellent tackling and passing skills, he played a crucial role as a central midfielder in that edition as Kerala beat fancied Railways 3-2 in the final at the Maharaja’s College Stadium in Kochi.
As a coach, he tasted success twice as Kerala won back-to-back titles in 1992, at Coimbatore, and in 1993, in Kochi. Jaffar began his career with Youngsters Sports Club in Fort Kochi. Later, he played for FACT and Premier Tyres. In 1969, he wore the Kerala jersey for the first time and continued to play for the state team till 1975.
Aged 44, he switched to full-time coaching and joined the Kerala State Sports Council. He is survived by his wife Sofia, sons Baiju, Sanju and Renju, and daughters-in-law Nidhas, Rehena and Sulfina. The burial will be held in Fort Kochi on Monday.