The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, October 15, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Soccer legend Jarnail dead
By Amardeep Bhattal
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 14 — With the passing away of legendary soccer star Jarnail Singh, an era of Indian football has come to an end. Jarnail breathed his last in Vancouver in the early hours today where he had gone to see his younger son Harshmohan who is settled there. Jarnail had left for Canada on July 12 this year after leading a quiet life in his native village Panam, near Hoshiarpur.

What Bobby Charlton or George Best were to English soccer, Jarnail was to Indian football. Tall, lithe of muscle with a stout frame, Jarnail was a father-figure of Punjab football. He strode the national football scene like the Colossus in the ’60s. From the dusty fields of Panam village, his birthplace, Jarnail scaled lofty heights, which till date are unparalleled and unmatched.

Having been born and brought up in the nursery of Punjab football, Jarnail had football in his blood. Running barefoot with a small rubber ball was his childhood passion which flowered into a promising career soon after.

Jarnail Singh's tryst with football at the national level dates back to 1957 when he decided to shift to Calcutta to try his luck on the sprawling maidan of the metropolis. Initially he joined Rajasthan Club but his talent and energy caught immediate attention and within one year he was roped into the glamorous Mohun Bagan the following year. Playing as stopper back, Jarnail played a key role in many a memorable Bagan win. Incidentally, he is the only Punjabi player to have led the glamorous red and maroon brigade and his achievements are still part of Calcutta's folklore.

The big break came in 1960 when he was picked in the Indian team for the Olympics but the outing was not very rewarding as India, after finishing fourth at Melbourne four years earlier, failed to finish in the top bracket. But the Jakarta Asian Games two years later propelled Jarnail to the centrestage. As captain, Jarnail led the Indian team to the historic gold medal victory. In fact the winning goal, according to Mr RK Bhanot, senior football coach, was scored by Jarnail himself.

For four years, Jarnail remained captain of the Indian team and was also selected as skipper of the Asian All-Star team in 1962.Incidentally he was the first Indian to have been selected in this team.

The same year, he was appointed as District Sports Officer in the Punjab Sports Department at Hoshiarpur. Jarnail rose to occupy the post of Additional Director before retiring seven years back. Jarnail was also made chief coach by the All-India Football Federation and served in that capacity in the mid-seventies.

During his playing career, Jarnail took part in the national championship for the Santosh Trophy as well as countless other tournaments. A contemporary of PK Banerjee, Jarnail's role in Punjab's historic 6-0 triumph over West Bengal in the 1974 Santosh Trophy at Jalandhar is by itself a separate chapter of Punjab football. It is perhaps the first instance of a coach assisting his team as player on the playing ground in the nationals.

Jarnail Singh was not only a source of inspiration for countless footballers but also for his sons, Jagmohan and Harshmohan. Jagmohan made an impact while playing for Border Security Force but his tragic demise a few years back shattered Jarnail Singh, who like George Best, had hit the bottle at the fag end of his career. Harshmohan also played for Panjab University, who won the All-India Inter-University Football Tournament.

Despite failing health, Jarnail's interest in football remained intact. Early this year,he was a daily visitor to Ludhiana to witness the National Football League matches. He was regularly invited to preside over prize distribution ceremonies of major football tournaments. When I last met him at a seminar at Banga, Jarnail expressed his anguish over the falling standards in the game. "Where is the commitment these days ? he asked while criticising the tendency of youngsters to adopt the easy approach.

Jarnail Singh was indeed a major force who motivated budding players to soar higher. In his death, Indian football in general and Punjab football in particular, have been left poorer.