Indian football legend Subhash Bhowmick passes away at 71

The former player and coach was suffering from diabetes and other health issues.

Former India international and veteran coach Subhash Bhowmick has passed away at the age of 71. He was undergoing kidney-related treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata. Bhowmick breathed his last on Saturday early morning, after suffering from a cardiac arrest a few hours before. Bhowmick was as successful both as a coach and as a player. He won 26 trophies in his club career at East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, as well as at Churchill Brothers.

Playing career

As a player, Bhowmick holds the feat of reaching the semifinals of the 1970 Asian Games for India. In his playing career, Bhowmick played for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal between 1969 to 1979. Popularly known as the "Bulldozer,” the wing-forward possessed tremendous prowess in the game. His career was one comprising fight against a knee injury in his early days. There were times when he took medications prior to the start of a game or during breaks.

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His rejuvenation came in 1973 under the tutelage of Lt. Pradip Kumar Banerjee (PK Banerjee) when East Bengal officials Ajay Shrimani and Santo Mitra took an injured Subhash Bhowmick to the club. Bhowmick became the highest-paid Indian footballer in 1976. Three years later, he brought an end to a prolific playing career. Bhowmick scored 82 goals for East Bengal and 84 at Mohun Bagan, winning multiple trophies at both clubs.

With the Indian national team, he won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games, the Pesta Sukan Cup in 1971 and another bronze in the Merdeka Cup. Bhowmick was also part of the national side that toured the USSR in 1971.

Coaching career

As a coach, Bhowmick’s journey began in 1986 with George Telegraph. In 1989, in a tournament held in Dhaka, he coached the Indian national team in the competition. However, his first major appointment was in 1991, when Mohun Bagan brought in Bhowmick as their coach. An unsuccessful stint followed that season for the club, who only won the Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup.

After his bypass surgery, Subhash Bhowmick joined East Bengal in 1999.  He led the team to the Calcutta Football League title. He returned for a second stint with the Red & Gold Brigade during the 2001/02 season. Bhowmick enjoyed massive success during this stint at East Bengal. Under his tutelage in 2002/03, the club won all the five trophies it participated in. In 2003, they lifted the ASEAN Cup in Jakarta, creating history and also won the National League for the second time in a row in 2003/04. He parted ways with the club in 2005 but made a comeback in 2008/09.

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He was appointed as the Technical Director of Mohun Bagan in 2010/11, but the club hardly saw any success. In 2013, he was brought back as the Technical Director of Mohun Bagan and built a side that went on to lift the I-League after 13 years in 2014/15 under Sanjoy Sen.

Bhowmick’s coaching career also saw him working at Mohammedan SC, Salgaocar FC, Churchill Brothers (TD) and Tollygunge Agragami (TD). He lifted the I-League trophy with Goan outfit Churchill Brothers in 2012/13. His last coaching stint was at East Bengal in 2018, when the club brought him as the Technical Director before the start of the Super Cup. Along with coach Khalid Jamil, he took the team to the final, but unfortunately suffered a 4-1 defeat against Bengaluru FC.

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