Veteran football stars alongside who Badal Roy once shared the pitch together during his illustrious playing career paid tribute to the Mohammedan legend who breathed his last Sunday.
Badal is considered one of the finest attacking midfielders in the 1980s.
He played for the national team from 1981 to 1987.
He represented Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited in his entire Dhaka League career for 12 years starting from 1977.
He started wearing the No 10 jersey and captained the club during his fourth year at the traditional powerhouse.
“He [Badal] played a great role in popularizing football in the country. He was not only a successful footballer, but also a great sports organizer. His absence will be felt in the sports sector. It’s really sad news,” reacted former celebrated striker Sheikh Mohammad Aslam, who played alongside Badal both at Mohammedan and national team before moving to Abahani Limited.
Former star national footballer and long-time football administrator Badal Roy breathed his last Sunday afternoon due to liver cancer.
Posted by Sports Tribune on Sunday, 22 November 2020
Imteaz Sultan Johnny, long-term club and national teammate, said, “Undoubtedly he is one of the top-quality athletes of the country, and also, was successful as Bangladesh Football Federation and Mohammedan official. As a good human, he always thought about the welfare of footballers with necessary support and promotions. As an organizer, he fought for the betterment of football until the last moment.”
Badal made his national team debut abroad under the captaincy of legendary winger Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu during the Quaid-E-Azam Football Championship 1982 in Karachi, Pakistan.
But they featured in rival teams in domestic football as Chunnu spent almost his entire career at Abahani.
He paid tribute by saying, “Badal played for Mohammedan but we played for the national team together. He was a very good player. His behavior was very good. We have also lost a good organizer. It’s a matter of great loss for football.”
After playing career, Badal served as Mohammedan manager from 1991 to 1995, and was also a life-time member of the club.
He was also elected as vice-president of BFF for three times starting from 2008 and won the National Sports Award in 2009.
