Late Jarnail Singh to posthumously receive Mohun Bagan Ratna this year

The Executive Committee Members of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club in a meeting held at the Club Tent in the evening today unanimously decided to confer the Mohun Bagan Ratna posthumously on legendary footballer Late Jarnail Singh on Mohun Bagan Day, 29th July, 2012.

He played in Mohun Bagan from 1959 to 1968 and was the Captain of the Club in 3 consecutive years, 1965 to 1967.

Jarnail Singh's debut in soccer was hardly surprising. He was born in the year 1936 at a place named Panam in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, which was also the nursery of Punjab football. As a teenager, Jarnail kept himself busy with a small rubber ball on the dusty village streets of Panam. Due to his talent, he was picked in the football team of Khalsa College, Mahilpur. Thereafter, Jarnail went on to represent Punjab XI and Khalsa Sporting Club before moving over to Calcutta's Rajasthan Club in 1957.

During the 1960s, Jarnail was one of the most outstanding defenders of the country. Be it the Durand Cup or the nationals, Jarnail's name evoked fear among the best strikers. He was known for his clean but effective tackles. During the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, when Jarnail sustained a head injury, he also showed his prowess as a forward when he scored the match winner in the final against Korea. Having sustained a nasty cut on the forehead which required six stitches, Jarnail returned to the ground after a brief break to assist the forward line as heading the ball would have been difficult in the defence. The decisive goal which he scored on that fateful day in the Asian Games final still serves as motivating factor for budding players.

In the Santosh Trophy, Jarnail Singh's role in shaping the destiny of the Punjab team is a golden chapter of Punjab football. In 1970, Punjab under his able guidance, won the trophy for the first time. In 1974, Punjab again won the Santosh Trophy defeating favourites Bengal 6-0 in a pulsating final at Jalandhar. Jarnail captained the Indian Football Team from 1965-67. He is also the only Indian to have been selected as Captain of the Asian All-Star team in 1966.

Jarnail Singh played for Mohun Bagan Athletic Club for a span of 10 years from 1959 to 1968 and helped the club win a number of major titles. Besides a great footballer, he was an equally inspirational leader and thorough gentleman. Regarding Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, he once remarked that this Club was his Gurudwara!

One of Jarnail’s many memorable performances in the Kolkata derby came in 1968 when he was in the wee end of his career. The occasion was the centenary celebration of Amrita Bazar Patrika. Mohun Bagan faced East Bengal in a must win match. Mohun Bagan took the lead after Jarnail's through pass found Arumaynaigam, whose shot from an acute angle was saved by Thangaraj. Getting the loose ball, Kannan placed it inside open goal. In the 2nd half, East Bengal tried to equalize but Jarnail stood like the great rock of Gibraltar and did not allow any space to opponent strikers inside Mohun Bagan penalty box. In the fag end of the match, Jarnail made a stunning goal line save and prevented Akbar's push from going in. Kannan latched on to the ball and scored a wonderful solo goal to earn a 2-0 victory.

During his 10 years stint with Mohun Bagan, he helped Mariners to win many trophies. Mohun Bagan won the Calcutta Football League 6 times, out of which they won the tournament in 4 consecutive years from 1962 to 1965. Mohun Bagan also created record in Durand Cup after becoming the 1st Indian team to complete a hattrick, from 1963 to 1965. In total, Mohun Bagan won the Durand Cup 5 times. Mariners also won the IFA Shield 3 times in a row from 1960 to 1962 and also in 1967. Having won the Rovers Cup twice, in 1966 and 1968, Mohun Bagan won the Amritabazar Centenary Cup in 1968.

Jarnail Singh served as the Deputy Director of Sports for the state of Punjab during 1985-90, and as the Director of Sports for the same state during 1990-94. In honor of his extra-ordinary services to the nation, he was conferred upon the Arjuna Award in the year 1964. He died on the 13th of October 2000 at Vancouver, Canada.