Ex-India midfielder Manas bestowed Shan-e-Mohammedan honour

Kolkata, June 8: City football giants Mohammedan Sporting Club on Friday bestowed the honour of the Shan-e-Mohammedan on former India midfielder Manas Bhattacharya for his contribution to the 126-year-old club.

The Shan-e-Mohammedan is the Lifetime Achievement Award of the club, which is awarded annually to respect and laud indispensable contribution of football players to the club.

"I played spent one season with the club and we won the Calcutta Football League. I have great memories with the club. It is a great honour to receive this award. I am missing Sultan Ahmed (former club president) today," said right-winger Bhattacharya after receiving the award and a sum of Rs 1 lakh at their Iftar celebrations on Friday.

Bhattacharya helped Mohammedan Sporting win the 1981 Calcutta Football League title, their 11th crown and also the last one.

Bhattacharya starred for the country in the 1982 Nehru Cup, scoring a famous goal against Uruguay though India lost the game 1-3. 

In the same tournament, the former Mohun Bagan player netted a goal against Yugoslavia as India won 2-1 and also found the back of the net against North Korea, helping the P.K. Banerjee coached team draw 2-2.

During his stint at Mohun Bagan, Bhattacharya forged a deadly on-field combination with Bidesh Bose.