Frederick, a daredevil keeper who inflicted fear in opponents

Bengaluru: Manuel Frederick, the daredevil goalkeeper of his time who won the 1972 Munich Olympics bronze medal for the biggest prize of his career, passed away at a city hospital here on Friday following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 78.

Born on October 20, 1947 in Kannur district in Kerala, the former Army Service Corps (Jalandhar) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Bengaluru) custodian made a name for himself in the late 1960s and 70s with his all-out aggressive style of goalkeeping that injected fear in the hearts of rival players.

Despite having limited protective equipment then — Frederick played most of his career with just pads and gloves with no helmet — Kerala’s first-ever Olympic medal winner didn’t bat an eyelid at throwing himself in the way of a goal-bound ball.

He apparently even indulged in intimidation tactics during penalty corners and penalty strokes, and loved charging at the opponents — something that was an antithesis to the Indian style of free-flowing hockey and overall friendly demeanour. He had a penchant for playing mind games also that would often rattle the opposition.

“Manuel was cut from a different cloth of goalkeeping,” former India captain BP Govinda, who played alongside Frederick at the Munich Games and several other tournaments, told of his former team-mate and friend who was conferred the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019.

“He was extremely aggressive, quite rare for Indian keepers of those days, but that propelled him to fame. Sometimes even we would get scared of him the way he charged at the ball or rival players. Coaches would tell him to tone down his rough style but Frederick never once backed away.

“He knew aggression was his natural game, and if he curbed it, that would hamper his keeping. So he stuck to it till the very end. Sometimes he didn’t wear chest and abdomen guards! He was a lion-hearted keeper and one of his kind.”

Born in a state, which is known for its football culture, Frederick, like many from modest backgrounds in those days, joined the Army to give wings to his sporting dreams. It took off nicely through ASC Jalandhar where his daring performances attracted eyeballs. He represented the Army as well as the Services and soon graduated to the national team, making a mark with his uniqueness. 

Following his stint with the Army, Frederick joined HAL in the mid-70s when he shifted base to Bengaluru. After retiring from HAL, he was actively involved in nurturing the next generation through his role as a coach in DYES for nearly three decades from the mid-1980s. He was a constant presence during league games at the hockey stadium and was widely respected by different generations. 

“For kids of this age, I would say his style was like Emiliano Martinez of the Argentina football team,” reminisced former India captain Jude Felix. “He was always in the face of the opponents. He loved trash-talking and going at them. It was unheard of in Indian hockey which loved playing in a gentlemanly manner in those days. It was not just international games but he played with the same intensity in league games.” 

India hockey great MP Ganesh felt the sport could have given a lot more to the straight-talking Frederick. “Awards and recognition came quite late for Frederick. He was a man of principles and never sought any help from the government or federations. He would always tell me, ‘MP, we should never beg for an award. It should always come to us.’ I feel some of the players he coached could have pushed his case.”

Frederick, whose funeral will be held on Sunday, may not be highly celebrated like some of the erstwhile players, but he sure left an indelible mark of his own.