Jump to content

Ranjit Das (footballer)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ranjit Das
Das in 1955
Personal information
Date of birth (1932-10-29)29 October 1932
Place of birth Sylhet, Bengal Presidency, British India
Date of death 2 February 2026(2026-02-02) (aged 93)
Place of death Sylhet, Bangladesh
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955 Ispahani Club
1956–1958 Azad Sporting Club
1958–1959 Dhaka Mohammedan
1960–1964 Azad Sporting Club
International career
1955–1961 East Pakistan
Managerial career
1968 East Pakistan Youth
Azad Sporting Club
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ranjit Das (Bengali: রণজিৎ দাস; 29 October 1932 – 2 February 2026) was a Bangladeshi football player and coach. He represented the East Pakistan football team from 1955 to 1961, and also served as captain of Chittagong Division team.

Early life

[edit]

Das was born on 29 October 1932 in a Hindu Bengali family in Sylhet, Bengal Presidency, British India, the fifth and youngest child of Kamala Kant Das and Vasantilata Das.[2][1] In 1947, he got an opportunity to play cricket for Town Club. Nonetheless, his cricket career ended following the 1947 Sylhet referendum in British India, as a large part of the elite body who managed cricket moved to India, while Sylhet became part of Pakistan.[3]

Club career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

On 7 August 1954, Das represented Town Club in the final of a local tournament against United Friends Club in Habiganj. His team won the game 1–0, with Das's performance against the opposing team's striker, Balai Das, a member of the East Pakistan football team, standing out. Following the game, he was offered a position to play for Merchant Club and crossed the border to Agartala, where his team drew goalless in an exhibition game against hosts Birendra Club. This game was observed by S. D. Burman, who later praised Das's performance. In 1955, East Bengal Club from Kolkata played an invitational match in Comilla. Das, representing the hosts, Comilla XI, kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 victory. In the same year, he represented Ispahani Club in the Dhaka First Division League and played four games before the league was suspended due to flooding.[3]

Azad Sporting Club

[edit]
Das (sitting third from the left) with Azad Sporting Club, champions of the 1958 Dhaka First Division League

In 1956, Das joined Azad Sporting Club, a team that was composed entirely of Bengali players at the time. He captained the team in 1957 and 1958, and during the latter year led them to their sole First Division title. The team, which included notable players such as S. A. Jamman Mukta, Tajul Islam Manna, Khandoker Abul Hasan, and other representatives of the East Pakistan football team, managed to outperform traditional giants Dhaka Mohammedan and Dhaka Wanderers. They secured the league title with a 3–2 victory in the play-off game against Central Station & Printing Press.[3]

Dhaka Mohammedan

[edit]

In 1958, Das represented Dhaka Mohammedan at the IFA Shield in Kolkata. The team reached the quarter-finals but eventually lost 3–0 to Kolkata Mohammedan. Nonetheless, due to his impressive performances, he was acquired as a guest player by the Kolkata-based side for the 1957 Durand Cup held in Delhi. Prior to that, Das had represented Tripura XI in the IFA Shield. He was also part of the Dhaka Mohammedan team, which won both the First Division and the 1959 Aga Khan Gold Cup title.[4][5]

East Pakistan

[edit]
Das (fourth from right; front row) with the 1955 National Championship bound East Pakistan football team

Das first represented the East Pakistan football team at the sixth National Football Championship held in Bahawalpur. His team exited the tournament from the quarter-finals after suffering a 3–1 defeat to Baluchistan on 21 November 1955.[6] He was also an integral part of the East Pakistan Whites, the eventual runners-up at the eighth National Football Championship held in Dhaka. The team captained by Mari Chowdhury, lost the final 2–1 to Punjab on 10 November 1957.[7]

In the ninth National Football Championship, held in Multan, the East Pakistan team was knocked out by Punjab Reds, the junior side of the defending champions, Punjab, losing 3–1 in the match played on 15 November 1958; vice-captain Das’s lack of height was blamed for misjudging aerial clearances that led to the concession of the first two goals.[8] In the tenth National Football Championship, held in Hyderabad, East Pakistan lost the final to Baluchistan on 7 November 1959, with Das again blamed for the defeat after conceding a long-range goal that proved to be the only goal of the match.[9]

Das was made second-choice goalkeeper to Muhammad Siddiq, who hailed from Quetta, at the eleventh National Football Championship held in Karachi. The team eventually went on to win their maiden title by defeating Karachi White 1–0 in the final held on 27 November 1960.[10]

Retirement

[edit]

In 1960, Das returned to Azad Sporting Club. He represented the club in the Aga Khan Gold Cup that year and went on to spend the following four years as a player-cum-coach. From 1962 to 1964, he represented the Chittagong Division in the National Football Championship, serving as captain during the first two years. In 1963 and 1964, Das coached Khandoker Mohammad Nurunnabi, who became Azad's first-choice goalkeeper, eventually overtaking Das's position.[4]

International career

[edit]

On 14 December 1955, Ranjit represented East Pakistan in an exhibition match against the Pakistan national team. His team were defeated 1–3.[11] On 14 December 1957, Das represented East Pakistan Sports Federation XI in an exhibition match against Kolkata Mohammedan in Dhaka. He produced a man of the match performance in a 1–1 draw, denying the likes of Abid Ghazi and Mohammed Rahmatullah on numerous occasions.[12][13] On 5 April 1958, Das was among six players from East Pakistan selected by the PFF for a training camp in preparation for the Tokyo Asian Games.[14] Nonetheless, he failed to make the final squad.

In 1961, Das represented East Pakistan XI in two exhibition matches against the Burma national team. The first game held on 17 January in Dhaka, ended in a 0–3 defeat,[15] while the second match held in Chittagong on 25 January, saw East Pakistan suffer a 1–9 defeat.[16] The hosts scored their only goal through winger Liton.[17]

Coaching career

[edit]

In 1968, Das coached the East Pakistan Youth football team to a runners-up place in the Pakistan National Youth Football Championship (East Zone). In the final held at Mymensingh Stadium, his team lost 0–1 to East Pakistan Combined University. He also served as the head coach of Azad Sporting Club in the 1970s.[3][18]

Post-retirement

[edit]

Following the foundation of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on 15 July 1972, Das was elected as its Joint Secretary. He played a major role in selecting the first Bangladesh national football team in 1973, alongside Nabi Chowdhury, Sheikh Shaheb Ali and Manzur Hasan Mintu. In 1981, he was again nominated as a member of the federation's executive committee.[3][19]

Hockey career

[edit]

Das joined the National Bank of Pakistan as an officer in 1959. He also played as a goalkeeper for the bank's field hockey team and won the Dhaka First Division League in both 1963 and 1965. In 1967, he got a chance to play for the East Pakistan hockey team and was eventually appointed the team's captain the following year. He represented the team in the Pakistan National Hockey Championship. Ranijit retired from the game after representing the Sylhet hockey team in 1979.[3][20]

Death

[edit]

Das died on 2 February 2026, at the age of 93, while undergoing treatment at Sylhet City Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.[a][21][22] He was survived by his wife, four daughters, and a son.[23]

Honours

[edit]

Azad Sporting Club

Dhaka Mohammedan

East Pakistan

Individual

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Many sources mislabel his age as "94".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "পঞ্চাশ ও ষাটের দশকের সেরা গোলকিপার রণজিৎ দাস এখন যেমন আছেন". news24bd.tv (in Bengali). 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  2. ^ "How is Sylhet's 'Telegram age' goalkeeper Ranjit Das doing". en.prothomalo.com. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "শচীন দেব বর্মণ যেন বিশ্বসেরা গোলরক্ষক দেখেছিলেন". shokalshondha.com (in Bengali). 7 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "রণজিৎ দাসের বাড়িতে এক বেলা". en.prothomalo.com (in Bengali). 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Aga Khan Cup Soccer". The Civil and Military Gazette. 24 September 1959. p. 6. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Baluchistan beat East Pakistan". The Civil and Military Gazette. 22 November 1955. p. 6. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ Tipu, Golam Sarwar. "Organisers wake up". archive.thedailystar.net. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Unceremonious Exit By East Wing". The Civil and Military Gazette. 16 November 1958. p. 11. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Baluchistan Wins National Soccer". The Civil and Military Gazette. 8 November 1959. p. 4. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "EAST PAKISTAN WIN NATIONAL SOCCER". The Pakistan Observer. 28 November 1960. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Poor Display By National Team: No Right-winger". The Pakistan Observer. 15 December 1955. p. 6.
  12. ^ "Splendid Goal-Savings Highlight Game". The Pakistan Observer. 15 December 1957. p. 8.
  13. ^ "THIRD SOCCER EXHIBITION ENDS IN DRAW". The Civil and Military Gazette. 16 December 1957. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ "East Wing Soccer Stars Leave For Bhawalpur". The Civil and Military Gazette. 6 April 1958. p. 11. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ "BURMA SOCCER TEAM WIN 3–0". The Paistan Observer. 18 January 1961. p. 8.
  16. ^ "BURMA SPEARHEAD SCORES HAT-TRICK". The Paistan Observer. 26 January 1961. p. 6.
  17. ^ "Burma Thrash E.Pakistan XI By 9–1". The Civil and Military Gazette. 26 January 1961. p. 8. Retrieved 21 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ "ফুটবলার ইকবালের স্বপ্ন ভেঙেছে একটি রাফ টেকলিং". Ctgsangbad (in Bengali). 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  19. ^ "সেদিন লাল-সবুজ পতাকা উড়িয়েছিল ফুটবল". Kalerkantho (in Bengali). 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  20. ^ "BSWA honours Ranjit in Sylhet". The Daily Star. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  21. ^ "চিরনিদ্রায় 'টেলিগ্রাম যুগের' সেই শেষ নায়ক: মাঠের ধুলা ছেড়ে অনন্তলোকে রণজিৎ দাস". prothomalo.com (in Bengali). 2 February 2026. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  22. ^ "Legendary goalkeeper Ranjit Das passes away at 94". The Daily Star. 2 February 2026. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  23. ^ "ফুটবলার ও ক্রীড়াসংগঠক রণজিত দাস আর নেই". prothomalo.com (in Bengali). 2 February 2026. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  24. ^ "CA to hand over Sports Awards today", The Daily Star, 8 April 2008, archived from the original on 2 February 2026, retrieved 21 August 2024
  25. ^ "Glamour lights up sports", The Daily Star, 13 January 2007, archived from the original on 2 February 2026, retrieved 21 August 2024

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প [The story of football the story of footballers] (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.
  • Mahmud, Dulal (2014). পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় [Bengali players in the Pakistan national team] (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon.
  • Mahmud, Dulal (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ [Liberation war in the playground] (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ranjit_Das_(footballer)&oldid=1337359826"