Former India football goalkeeper A. U. Celestine, passed away here on Monday. He was ailing for a while. He was 73, and is survived by his wife and son.
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Celestine played for the Tamil Nadu men’s team in the senior Nationals as a ‘keeper in the 1965 and ‘69 National championships. He represented India in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 1969.
He joined Reserve Bank of India, Madras in 1967. His contemporaries include Poyyathoppan, Orlando, Raju, Gunapandi, Thomas, Kosshy, Edwin Ross and Victor. Later, he was also the member in-charge for the Reserve Bank FC.
A cartilage injury, however, cut short his football career when he was at his peak. He served as a coach for the Tamil Nadu State, junior, sub-junior and women’s teams. He was a talent spotter of AIFF. He trained the underprivileged children in North Madras and helped them with their education.
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