The residents of Chalakkudy, a small town in Kerala's Thrissur district bid a tearful farewell to T K Chathunni, one of the frontline football coaches in India on Thursday. Chathunni, rated as the Man with the Midas Touch was instrumental in making teams like MRF, Goa, Churchill Brothers Goa, Salgaokar, FC Kochin and the Kerala State as India's leading football powers breathed his last on Wednesday in a private hospital . He was 79 and leaves behind his wife Swarnalatha and daughters Rekha and Rinku.
Chathunni was one of the ace football players in the country and had represented Orkay Mills, Vasco Goa, EME Centre, for years in various all-India tournaments during 1962-1979. Along with legendary Inder Singh, Magan Singh, Bernard Periera, Shyam Thapa, and Ranjit Thapa, he was a regular player of the Indian national side that had played in various tournaments in Asia. Old timers still remember how this player with a continental get-up, guarded the danger zone while single handedly fed the strikers through mesmerizing passes and dribbling. Chathunni was at home playing as a stopper back but caught the rivals with his lightening speed in taking the ball to their areas which always culminated in goals.
