Courtesy-India TV
Fortunato Franco, a founding member of India’s gold-winning Asian Games football team in 1962, died on Monday at the age of 84. The AIFF announced his death but did not elaborate on the cause of death. His wife, son, and daughter survive him.
Franco was one of India’s best midfielders during the golden age of Indian football, which lasted from 1960 to 1964. He was a member of the 1960 Rome Olympic team but did not play. He was, however, an important member of the Asiad gold-winning team in Jakarta in 1962.
He played 26 times for India, including the 1962 Asian Cup, in which India finished runners-up, and was a member of the silver and bronze-winning sides in the 1964 and 1965 Merdeka Cups. His best result came at the 1962 Asian Games, where India defeated South Korea 2-1 in the final in front of 100,000 spectators in Jakarta. Franco, a Goan, played for the Tata Football Club in Mumbai on a domestic basis. He later spent four decades in the company’s Public Relations department before retiring in 1999.
He was a cultural icon in Maharashtra football, having captained the state for eight years in a row in the Santosh Trophy between 1959 and 1966, and being the architect of their championship triumph in 1964. He played for Goan giants Salgaocar in his final years of professional football, but a knee injury ended his career before he turned 30.
Many old-timers claim that if Franco had not retired from international football in 1965, he would have been a candidate to become India’s captain for the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok.
“It is devastating to hear that Mr. Fortunato Franco is no more. He was a member of Indian football’s golden generation who played a stellar role in India helping India win the Gold Medal in the 1962 Asian Games,” the president of AIFF, Praful Patel said.
“His contribution to Indian Football can never be forgotten. I share the grief,” he added.
The general secretary of AIFF, Kushal Das said: “Mr. Fortunato Franco will be alive in his achievements. He played a massive role in India winning the Gold Medal in the 1962 Asian Games.
“He was a legendary footballer who has been an inspiration to so many generations. My condolences to his family. We pray for his soul to rest in peace.”