Amal Dutta

Amal Dutta (4 May 1930 – 10 July 2016) was a former Indian footballer, coach and football manager.

Born in Calcutta, then Bengal Presidency, he is considered as the first professional football coach in the country.

A finest thinker of the sport, Dutta had a rivalry with Pradip Kumar Banerjee during his coaching days in Kolkata club football.

Dutta made his full-time professional club football debut in the CFL, in early 1950s, appeared with East Bengal in three consecutive seasons from 1953 to 1956.

During his playing days with both East Bengal and India, he played under two of the country's legendary coaches, Bagha Som and Syed Abdul Rahim.

In his first season with the club, he was part of the team that toured Romania and participated in World Youth Festival, and Soviet Union in 1953.

In that year, the club played against German side Kickers Offenbach and Soviet team Torpedo Moscow.

He also played for Mohun Bagan, arch-rival of East Bengal, for a short period of time and represented the club in Rovers Cup.

On 25 October 1953, Dutta made his national team debut against Pakistan in Rangoon during the Quadrangular Series, which was his only appearance for India.

Managed by Balaidas Chatterjee, they won the tournament.

He was also a member of Indian squad in the 1954 Asian Games in Manila.

Dutta also appeared with the Indian team against numerous visiting European teams in exhibition matches, including a 1–0 defeat to Allsvenskan club AIK at CC&FC Ground in Kolkata on 10 December 1954.

Dutta hanged-up his boots after his playing career cut short due to injury at the age of 29.

Soon in the early 1960s, he left his job in the Indian Railways to become a full-time coach.

He then went to England for a one-year FA coaching course paid for from his own finances, where he was taught by renowned football administrator Walter Winterbottom, who was first manager of England.

Dutta was influenced by Indian coach Sir Dukhiram Majumder.

After returning to India, Dutta started a coaching camp in Bally, Howrah.

His first major assignment was to coach Railways in 1960 for the Santosh Trophy, and later managed Odisha twice in the same tournament.

Dutta later managed Calcutta Football League club Aryan from 1960 to 1962 and guided players like Asim Moulick.

His first assignment with a big club was in 1963 with East Bengal midway through the Calcutta Football League.

His first Kolkata Derby match against Mohun Bagan ended in a 3–0 defeat in CFL, and in the return leg, East Bengal bounced back and clinched a 2–0 victory.

He remained as coach of East Bengal in 1964 but a year later, after gaining coaching course abroad, the first-ever in India and a feat for which, he received little recognition.

I am known as a Harley Street specialist.

When the patient (losing football club) has been treated by all doctors and not recovered, they come to me.

Leaving his job from the Indian Railways to become a full-time coach, was a bold step in the then amateur football scene of the country and it is the reason behind his nickname, the 'first professional coach of India'.

In his long coaching career he was associated with premier football clubs of India, and also became coach of India.

Dutta coached all the three big clubs of the Kolkata Maidan.

With East Bengal; he won the CFL (twice), IFA shield (twice), Rovers Cup, Durand Cup, Darjeeling Gold Cup, Bordoloi Trophy, Airlines Gold Cup, Sanjay Gandhi Gold Cup and ATP Shield.

He had more success with Mohun Bagan whom he coached to 4 Calcutta Football League titles, 4 IFA Shield titles, 3 Federation Cups, 2 Durand Cups and also wins in DCM Trophy, All Airlines Gold Cup, Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup and Nehru Trophy.

With Mohun Bagan, Dutta won multiple trophies including a "double" in 1969 (IFA Shield and Calcutta Football League).

After managing the mariners in 1969–1971 and 1985–1987, Dutta returned to the club again in 1989.

He then utilized an innovative 3–4–3 "Diamond System", with Abdul Khaliq and Okerie in the front, the club played offensively, which was rare in Indian football.

Known for introducing the "diamond system" in football in India in the late 1970s, Dutta is known as "Diamond Coach".

Dutta began his playing career in Friends Club of Jorasanko.

He then went on to play for numerous clubs of lower divisions, Subarnon, Sporting Union, Aryans and Bengal Nagpur Railway respectively.

He guided the team clinching Rovers Cup consecutively from 1970 to 1972 while players like Bhabani Roy were flourished under his tenure.

In a single season with Mohammedan Sporting in 1980, Dutta won Rovers, DCM and Sikkim Governors Gold Cup titles.

At the 1997 Federation Cup, one of the most anticipated matches in Indian football history, Dutta managed the club against Banerjee's East Bengal in front of the recorded 131,000+ spectators at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

Despite of a 4–1 defeat, fans lauded Mohun Bagan's impressive style of play under his "Diamond System".

Dutta has also managed another Kolkata-based NFL side Tollygunge Agragami from 1999 to 2000.