Pungam Kannan, former Indian footballer , passes away

Pungam Kannan (80), the former Indian footballer, has passed away at Kolkata, West Bengal. Born in Vandavasi in Tamil Nadu, Kannan played 14 matches for India & was the former Mohun Bagan & East Bengal forward. He won Santosh Trophy for Bengal twice in a row (1971-73) and was the top-scorer. It was legendary German coach Dettmar Cramer who had given him the best appreciation by calling him ‘Pele of Asia’ in 1968 when he was invited by the AIFF to conduct two-week coaching in Mumbai.