Ex-India goalkeeper Varadaraj no more

BANGALORE: India’s greatest-ever goalkeeper, the towering and gigantic Kenchappa Varadaiah Varadaraj, 89, passed away on Tuesday morning af­ter a prolonged illness. Varadaraj, who wa

BANGALORE: India’s greatest-ever goalkeeper, the towering and gigantic Kenchappa Varadaiah Varadaraj, 89, passed away on Tuesday morning af­ter a prolonged illness.

Varadaraj, who was born in Mysore on May 7, 1924, was a double Olympian and repre­s­e­nted the country in the 1948 and 1952 Helsinki Olympic Ga­­­mes. He was also India’s custodian when the country won the Asian Games football gold medal in 1951 in Delhi. The 5’ 10” tall goalke­eper with cat-like reflexes, Varadaraj also captained the then My­s­­o­­re state in the Santosh Trophy and represented the st­a­te from 1945 to 1961 in his illustrious care­er.

Varadaraj began his career with the Metho­dist Mission High Sch­ool, the Mysore Challengers Union FC and the Hindu Un­­i­ted FC. His displays in local games saw My­sore Railways pick him up as a youngster. But his career took off in 1944 when he came down to Banga­lore and signed for the famous Bangalore Blues Football Club which produced many Olymp­ians and Internationals. From 1945 to 1961, he was a regular member of the state te­am in various tournaments and also toured Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1947. After the 1952 Olympics, Varadaraj si­gned for Mohun Ba­gan and starred in their Durand Cup triumph in 1953 after a gap of 60 years. On his return from Calcutta, Varada­raj joined HMT and served as a state selector.

He also coached Bangalore Bl­u­es and HMT as well. He th­en became a qualified refer­ee and was on the national pa­nel. Varadaraj was always si­mple, yet firm, when it came to principles. The story goes th­at Varadaraj was offered the post of a Sports Officer, but he re­fused to accept it saying he was a diploma holder in Mec­hanical Engineering and he does not qualify for that post. Sh­ockingly, neither the state as­sociation nor the state gove­rnment over the years have thought it fit to give him ma­tc­hing recognition for his services to the game as a goalke­eper, a coach, selector or a re­feree.

The likes of the late and illu­strious goalkeeper Peter Th­angaraj were inspired by Varadaraj. With Varadaraj’s pa­­ssing away, India lost a gr­e­at footballer.