V. P. Sathyan Biography 
V. P. Sathyan was a football player from Kerala who played for Indian team in the centre back position. He started his career in the year 1983 representing Kerala at Santhosh trophy and has been associated with the game for more than a decade. He also served as the captain of Indian football team and was named the 1995 AIFF player of the year.Since 1991 he served as the Captain of Indian team. He was the captain of Indian team which won gold medal in the 1995 SAF Games in Chennai. Under his leadership, Kerala won Santhosh Trophy in 1992. He also served as a coach to Indian Bank. However he committed suicide in 2006 for financial issues. When his teammates I.M. Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri rose to national fame, he remained an unsung hero throughout his career.
Sathyan was born on April 29, 1965 in Mekkunnu near Chokli, Kannur district.VattaParambathGopalan Nair and NarayaniAmma were his parents. He was married to Anita and the couple had one daughter. He started his professional career at the age of 18 in 1983 Santhosh Trophy. He attended the South Zone camp under Amar Bahadur in 1985 and joined Indian team by his talent of a good defender. He was a member of Indian football team in 1985 SAF Games in Dhaka, followed by Nehru Cup in Thiruvananthapuram in 1986 and Seoul Asian Games. He also played for Santhosh Trophy and Federation Cup twice as a member of Kerala team. He was in the winning team of Kerala that won Federation Cup twice in 1990 and 1991.
As a successful player, he played with Kerala police, Mohammedan Sporting Club and MohunBagan and retired from professional career in 1995. He continued as a coach for one decade before he committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at Chennai in 2006. He was 41. He is survived by his wife and a 10-year-old daughter. He had lost his wealth and was habituated to drinking and gambling when he committed suicide. He was employed in a bank.
An unsung hero of Indian team, he led Indian team continuously for 5 years in a row since 1991. One of the best defenders of 1990s, surprisingly he never received any awards or honours throughout his career. His classic and world-class goal he scored against South Korea in 1986 in Merdeka was his outstanding performance, which led India to the quarter-finals. This unpredicted goal not only stunned his co-players, but also shocked his opponents. After his death, four suicide notes were found in his pocket. So it’s well assumed that he was thoroughly prepared before the suicide. In one of the notes he thanked media who supported him throughout his career.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 26, 2016
