Xtra Time Web Desk: Former Indian football team captain Carlton Chapman passed away on Monday morning. The 49 year old footballer died due to a severe cardiac arrest. Chapman was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the country. He represented the Indian team from 1991-2001 and was also the captain.
Chapman began his club career with Sai Centre, Bangalore in the mid-1980s. He then played for Southern Blues, a Bangalore club, before joining the Tata Football Academy as a cadet in 1990. He stayed with the club till 1993 after graduating the previous year, before signing for East Bengal. He had a fruitful two years at East Bengal until he was signed by JCT Mills in 1995. One of the lasting memories of Carlton Chapman was the hat-trick he scored against Iraqi Club Al-Zawra in his debut season for East Bengal at the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup, a match that Bengal won 6–2.
He had a successful stint at JCT Mills. During his stay at the JCT, the team won 14 tournaments. After one season with FC Kochi in 1997–98, Chapman returned to his former club East Bengal in 1998. The team won the National Football League under his captaincy in 2001, before he announced his retirement from professional football.
Chapman represented Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal in the Santosh Trophy.
Following his retirement as a player, Chapman started his career in coaching in 2002. He coached the Tata Football Academy team in the I-League 2nd Division, from 2002 to 2008. He quit in 2008, after the team was not allowed to play in the first division by its management even after having qualified. During these years, he had stints with the Indian under-19 team as an assistant coach. He also had a stint with a New Delhi club, Royal Rangers, in 2008.He was then approached by Royal Wahingdoh, a club based in Shillong. He guided the team to three successive Shillong Premier League wins, and the Bordoloi Trophy win in 2011.
In 2013, Chapman was signed by Bhawanipore FC, a Kolkata-based club that played in the I-League 2nd Division. In In 2017, he joined Sudeva Moonlight FC, a club based in Delhi, as an assistant coach. Under him, the club got promoted to the I-League 2nd Division. In December 2017, Chapman was appointed the Technical Director of the Kozhikode-based Quartz International Football Academy.
Chapman was a thorough gentleman as was loved by all. The passing away of Carlton Chapman is mourned by the football fraternity in the country.