Kozhikode: Former Indian footballer Carlton Chapman, who died on Monday from heart failure, was somebody who enthralled football lovers in Kozhikode both as a player and a coach. His thunderous volley for JCT Mills against Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting in the semifinals of the 1995 Scissors Cup at the Corporation Stadium would always be etched in their memory. Incidentally, it was in the same tournament that I M Vijayan scored a stunning overhead kick goal in the final against Malaysian club Perlis.
After retiring from active football, Chapman returned to Kerala in 2017 as the technical director of the Kozhikode-based Quartz FC. To his credit, he guided the young and inexperienced team to the runners-up spot in the Kerala Premier League in 2018.
Quartz FC, recently rebranded as FC Kerala United after being taken over by United World Group - a leading sports management company which owns English Premier League side Sheffield United – was the last professional club that he coached.
Chapman was also widely known for his penchant for spotting and grooming young talents. He was the main trainer at the coaching camps conducted for aspiring footballers in the 13-16 age group at Koyilandy, Vatakara, Feroke and Annassery a couple of years ago.
