Dhyan Chand award for Shabbir Ali

KOLKATA: Former India striker Shabbir Ali, who took up full-time coaching after hanging up his boots, has become the first footballer to be nominated for the prestigious Dhyan Chand award as recognition for his lifetime achievement in sports.
"I thank God for this honour. It's a recognition for my devotion to football and also a huge motivational boost," Shabbir, who recently helped Bengal successfully defend the Santosh Trophy in Guwahati, told TOI on Tuesday."I want to dedicate this to my family, friends and well-wishers who have stood by me during the tough times," he added.
With Shabbir bagging the award, it turned out to be a double delight for Bengal as athletics coach Kuntal Roy was also nominated for the Dronacharya Award. Roy has produced Indian track and field stars like Soma Biswas and Sushmita Singha Roy. The duo will receive their awards from President Pratibha Patil along with Arjuna-awardee Sunil Chhetri, who will don the Mohun Bagan jersey this season. The Dhyan Chand Award is the country's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and was instituted in 2002. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette, a ceremonial dress and a scroll of honour. Bengal's Aparna Ghosh (basketball) was the first recipient of this award along with Ashok Diwan (hockey) and Shahuraj Birajdar (boxing).
The All India Football Federation had earlier recommended current national coach Armando Colaco's name for the Dronacharya award as well as that of Shabbir's for the Dhyan Chand award. Colaco has been India's most successful football coach at the club level for almost a decade.
The AIFF has not been able to nominate Shabbir for the Dronacharya award as the guidelines stipulate that aspirants should have coached the national team. Syed Nayeemuddin remains the only football coach to receive this honour (1990).