Balai Dey

Balai Dey (Bengali: বলাই দে; born 11 October 1946) is a retired Indian football player who played as a goalkeeper.[1] He is one of the few footballers who represented the two nations, India and Pakistan, in international football.[2]

Balai Dey
Personal information
Date of birth (1946-10-11) 11 October 1946
Place of birth Kotalipara, Gopalganj, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh)
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1962 Khulna Heroes
1962 Dhaka Mohammedan
1963 Khulna Town Club
1963–1964 Dhaka Mohammedan
1965–1967 East Bengal
1967 Aryan
1968–1971 Mohun Bagan
1971–1974 East Bengal
International career
1963–1965 Pakistan
1969–1970 India
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In July 2022, Dey was conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award by Mohun Bagan.[3]

Early life

Balai Dey was born on 11 October 1946 in Kotalipara, Gopalganj, Bengal Presidency, during the ending stage of British rule in India.[1] He lived and studied in Khulna as he entered in Satyanarayana School and later studied at St. Joseph's High School till 1964. During his school days, he began playing football and started his youth career as a goalkeeper for Khulna Sporting Club at the age of fifteen.[1]

Club career

In East Pakistan

Dey began his club football career in East Pakistan with then renowned club Khulna Heroes of Khulna First Division League in 1961 after gaining success in playing for local Khulna-based sides.[4] In the Khulna First Division League, his dazzling sportsmanship caught the attention of football fans, and he was picked up by Dhaka League club Dhaka Mohammedan. Two legendary Dhaka Mohammedan players Kabir Ahmed and Amir Jang Ghaznavi played a crucial role in this transfer.[1]

In 1963 Dhaka League, he helped the team winning the title under the leadership of Abid Hossain, and emerged as one of the best goalkeepers at that time in whole Pakistan. In the league, he stopped so many notable opponents like Dhaka Wanderers Club, Victoria Sporting, Wari Club Dhaka and others. Later, his tremendous performance helped the team winning prestigious Aga Khan Gold Cup[note 1] in 1964.[5] Dhaka Mohammedan and Karachi Port Trust were joint-winners of the tournament. He also played for Khulna Town Club in 1963.

In India

After his arrival in Calcutta in 1965, Jyoti Prakash Mitra wrote in 1982 in Khelar Kagaz about the journey of Dey from East Pakistan to Pakistan national football team under the headline "Padma to Ganga".[1] He got an invitation to play for Railway FC. On the other hand, Calcutta Football League giants East Bengal was little more concerned about the approval of FIFA's international clearance as he was a foreigner. In 1965, Jyotish Guha managed East Bengal took him as a foreign recruit by surprise where Peter Thangaraj was prominent goalkeeper of the team.[6] Dey later became an Indian citizen but got less opportunities and appeared in only a few matches from 1965 until 1967. Thus he moved to Aryan Club, one of the oldest clubs founded in 1884.[7][8] With Aryan, he appeared in 1967 Calcutta League and in a match, his goalkeeping helped the team winning 2–1 against Mohun Bagan.

After coming to India, when I joined East Bengal, their first-choice goalkeeper was Peter Thangaraj. Naturally, I didn't receive too many opportunities to play. So, I shifted to Mohun Bagan and became a star there. Till today, everyone in Mohun Bagan respects me, recently they conferred me with the Lifetime Achievement award. How many sportspersons in this country can boast of playing for two nations? Everyday I thank God for giving me so much. He has given me more than I deserve.

—Balai Dey in an interview with Scroll, on joining Mohun Bagan, leaving East Bengal.[9]

In Indian club football, he was in hard times until his signing with Mohun Bagan in 1968.[10] In 1969, Mohun Bagan clinched the Calcutta Football League title under the guidance of legendary coach Amal Dutta.[11][12] He also helped the "green and maroons" winning major titles including Rovers Cup in 1968, 1970 and 1971, and IFA Shield in 1969.[1][13] His goalkeeping for Mohun Bagan at the final of 1969 IFA Shield, helped the team winning the trophy defeating his former club East Bengal 3–1 and it was club's eleventh Shield victory.[14] Amal Dutta was influential nurturing talents including Balai Dey and others like Monoranjan Bhattacharya, Satyajit Chatterjee.[15][16]

He moved back to East Bengal in 1972 and played consecutively until 1974. During his spells with the "red and gold brigade", he won Calcutta Football League in 1972 and 1973,[17] IFA Shield in 1972 and 1973, Rovers Cup in 1972 and 1973, DCM Trophy in 1973 defeating North Korean side Dok Ro Gang,[18] and Bordoloi Trophy in 1973.

Dey also appeared in the jersey of State Bank of India. Between 1967 and 1970, he represented Bengal in Santosh Trophy and emerged champions in 1969.[1] A standout performance for Bengal earned him a national team call-up.[19] During the national camp in Bombay, Dey had to rush to Nowgon, Assam, in a few hours' notice after receiving an SOS from the Bengal team management and participated in the Santosh Trophy.[9] In final, they defeated Services by 6–1.[9]

International career

Pakistan

After Dey's brilliant performance with Dhaka Mohammedan in tournaments in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan, he got a chance for trial in the Pakistan national team.[20] In the 1950s, very few players from East Pakistan were called up to the national team while fewer got the opportunity to play in the starting XI.[2]

After the memorable performances against Singapore and Sri Lanka, Dey and Zahirul Haque from East Pakistan earned a spot in the national squad. Despite the dominance of the Makranis, he went to play with the national team in Chinese Republic Day Football Tournament in 1964. After his heroic goalkeeping for Pakistan against the powerful Baku XI team of the Soviet Union in Chittagong, 1964, every national newspaper of Pakistan gave the title "Flying Bird".[1]

India

After representing Pakistan, he got the honor of playing in India national football team in 1969 after gaining Indian citizenship.[1] He competed in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia and the Singapore Friendship Tournament, when Jarnail Singh was the national team head coach.[21][22] In Merdeka, he earned the nickname "Indian Rock".[1] In 1970, he played in the Friendship Tournament in Iran.[19]

Personal life

Half of my family was already living in India. In January 1965, I crossed over to India through Petrapole Border and life changed thereafter. We decided to stay in India and never again returned to Dhaka or Khulna except for occasional visits. I did come over to India, but at the back of the mind I had felt I let down Pakistan, especially my motherland, which is now Bangladesh. But once Bangladesh was born, something happened that left me immensely satisfied. In 1972, I was in East Bengal and went to play exhibition matches in Bangladesh. Luckily, I knew Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from my childhood days because of my family connections. When the East Bengal team paid a visit to the great man, he told me that initially people were upset that I left Pakistan to move to India. But everybody was happy after I achieved so much in India. 'We are now proud of you', he said. I couldn't control my tears when Bangabandhu said these words.

— Balai Dey, on his move from East Pakistan to India.[9]

Dey's twin brother Kanai Dey was also a football goalkeeper who played in Khulna First Division League. Balai Dey got the opportunity to play for the Pakistan national team during a tour of the Soviet Union in 1965, but due to family constraints, he moved to Calcutta, India on January 3, 1975, and settled in Liluah, Howrah.[23] He was admitted to Jagannath College in Dhaka for IA and later to Surendranath College of the University of Calcutta, and did not go far to play. He got married in 1981.

Post-playing career

After retiring from football, Dey began his coaching career with sub-junior teams of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. He then earned a job at State Bank of India and later retired in 2006.[1] Dey also worked as coach of Liluah Suryanagar Maitri Sangha club.[1]

Honours

Dhaka Mohammedan

East Bengal[24]

Mohun Bagan

Bengal

Individual

See also

Notes
  1. The competition is widely regarded as the predecessor of AFC Champions League (held for the first time in 1967), since it was the first organized international competition that involved club teams around Asia, organized by the football authorities of East Pakistan, in collaboration with Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

References
  1. ETV Bharat News Desk, West Bengal, 12:56 PM IST (16 June 2019). "ভারত-পাকিস্তানের জার্সি গায়ে মাঠে নেমেছিলেন বলাই দে [Balai Dey, who played for both the India and Pakistan]". www.etvbharat.com (in Bengali). ETV Network. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  2. Hoque, Shishir (4 March 2018). "Football before the birth of Bangladesh". www.dhakatribune.com. Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. Banerjee, Joy (8 July 2022). "Mohun Bagan Day Awardees". footballjunction.in. Kolkata: Football Junction. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  4. "Balai Dey: খেলেছিলেন পাকিস্তানের জার্সিতেও, ফুটবলের সঙ্গে ক্রিকেটেও সেরা বলাই দে". bangla.aajtak.in (in Bengali). Kolkata, West Bengal: Aaj Tak Bangla. 17 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. Alam, Masud (14 January 2020). ঐতিহ্যের পথে ঘুরে দাঁড়াক মোহামেডান. prothomalo.com (in Bengali). Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  6. "TEAM ARCHIVES - East Bengal FC". www.eastbengalfootballclub.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  7. Sengupta, Somnath (16 December 2010). "Aryan Club - Rising From the Ashes". thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  8. Majumdar, Boria, Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (1 February 2006). Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation. New Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780670058747. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Basu, Jaydeep (13 August 2022). "Indian Football: Balai Dey, the Mohun Bagan legend who played for both India and Pakistan". scroll.in. Scroll. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. "SQUAD: MOHUN BAGAN ATHLETIC CLUB (1961–1970)". themohunbaganac.com. Mohun Bagan AC. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  11. "East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan: Five memorable Kolkata derbies to warm you up". Scroll.in. 20 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  12. "Mohun Bagan Trophy room". themohunbaganac.com. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  13. "1960 to 1969". Mohun Bagan Club. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  14. Rampling, Ali (11 May 2020). "Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: 5 of the Greatest Kolkata Derbies of All Time". www.90min.com. 90 Minutes. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  15. Bhattacharya, Rupayan (21 July 2016). "অমল আলোর কমল বনে [Amal Dutta and his days in Indian football]". eisamay.com (in Bengali). Ei Samay. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  16. Bhattacharya, Nilesh (23 July 2016). "Diamond Touch". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  17. Mukhopadhyay, Shoubhik (10 September 2015). "East Bengal & Calcutta Football League: A Sublime Romantic Saga - Hero I-League". i-league.org. I-League. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  18. Raunak, Majumdar (31 May 2019). "The DCM Trophy- Oldest Indian Tournament with International Exposure". chaseyoursport.com. Chase Your Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  19. Chakraborty, Sruti (24 February 2023). "Balai Dey: The man who connects India, Pakistan and the Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  20. Arif, Mahbub (17 November 2015). "বাঙালির ফুটবল-সাফল্য এখন কেবলই স্মৃতি" [Bengali football success is now just a memory]. u71news.com (in Bengali). উত্তরাধিকার৭১ নিউজ. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  21. "Jarnail Singh Profile". www.iloveindia.com. I Love India. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  22. "The Senior National Team at 1969 Merdeka Cup". indiafootball.de. IndiaFootball. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  23. "Indian Football: Balai Dey, the Mohun Bagan legend who performed for each India and Pakistan". thealike.com. Kolkata: The Alike. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  24. The World Sports Today (1 August 2020). "100 years of East Bengal: A timeline of Kolkata giant's key milestones". The World Sports Today. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  25. "Former India player Shyam Thapa to be conferred with Mohun Bagan Ratna". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Kolkata, West Bengal: The Times of India. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  26. Das Sharma, Amitabha (29 July 2022). "Shyam Thapa conferred the Mohun Bagan Ratna". sportstar.thehindu.com. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

Bibliography
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