Goalkeeping ace Bandya no more

Former India football goalkeeper Bandya Kakade, a member of the squad that won a bronze at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, passed away here on Wednesday.

The 67-year-old former custodian breathed his last at around 4.30 pm here following a sudden heart attack, his family said.

Kakade, born in Mumbai, donned the famous Tata SC colours for close to two decades barring a two-year gap and was a “good and stylish” goalkeeper, according to another former Tata and India custodian, S S (Babu) Narayan.

“He joined Tatas after I quit as a player in 1970. Earlier he was with Mafatlal and Railways. He was a stylish and good goalkeeper with acrobatic dives. He was part of the Indian bronze-medal winning team at the 1970 Asian Games,” said Narayan.

This was the last medal won in football by India in the continental sports spectacle. Kakade was then understudy to Kuppuswami Sampath of MEG-Bangalore in the side led by Syed Nayeemuddin and coached by P K Banerjee.

Hailing from a family of tailors, Kakade showed little interest in studies and was interested in football and tennis. He went on to make his mark in football, playing for Central Railway, Mafatlal and Tatas.