Kolkata, Aug 31 (IANS) Mohun Bagan Saturday appealed to the central government to confer Padma Vibhushan posthumously on legendary Indian footballer Sailen Manna.
“The exploits of late Sailen Manna is known to one and all and it would be most befitting if he were to be honoured for his achievements,” Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra said in a statement here.
He hoped the government would consider the appeal favourably.
One of the best defenders the country has ever produced, Manna was adjudged the country’s footballer of the millennium by the All India Football Federation in 2000.
After making his international debut against France in the 1948 London Olympics,Manna led India to the gold in the inaugural Asian Games in New Delhi and also captained the country in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and the 1954 Manila Asian Games.
