Kolkata, Nov 28 (IANS) A condolence meeting for former All India Football Federation (AIFF) president and Congress party leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi was held at the Mohun Bagan club on Tuesday.

Dasmunsi died on November 20 at the age of 72. He was in coma since 2008.

Former Indian football stars like Chuni Goswami, Subrata Bhattacharya, Prasanta Banerjee, Biswajit Bhattacharya, Compton Dutta, Prasun Banerjee and Gautam Sarkar were present on the occasion.

Former Mohun Bagan president Swapan Sadhan Bose was also present. Dasmunsi’s membership card with the club was handed over to his son, Priyadip, nicknamed Michil.

“I would like to see a tournament named after Priya da. It would be better if the goal scorer of that particular tournament also gets a prize named after him,” Subrata Bhattacharya told reporters after paying his respects.

“If Priya da would have been alive, he would not let East Bengal and Mohun Bagan not be part of the Indian Super League (ISL),” Prasun Banerjee added.

Dasmunsi stewarded the country’s football for close to two decades till 2008, when, after his illness, Praful Patel took over the reins.

As AIFF president, Dasmunsi started the National Football League in 1996, served as match commissioner in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and organised the Millennium Cup international tournament in 2000.

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Dasmunsi was named Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent.

Dasmunsi was born on November 13, 1945 at Chirirbandar (now in Bangladesh).

In 1994, Dasmunsi married actress Deepa Dasmunsi, who later became an MLA and MP.

–IANS
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