Even at 53, Maidan legend Jamshid Nassiri eats, sleeps and dreams football. A t2 chat at Calcutta Parsee Club with one of the nicest men you’ll ever meet.

Studies brought you to India and you stayed back for the love of football. After spending almost 30 years, do you ever regret the move?

Basically, I came to study in India (Aligarh Muslim University) in those days and at the same time, I was a member of the Iran senior national team that came to India at that moment. Before that, of course, I was in the junior team. At the same time, since I was playing, I came to know that the clubs in Calcutta are very famous and they are very competitive in this state. So, that’s why, I preferred to come to Calcutta to play.

That was the time that East Bengal approached me and my friend Majid Bashkar. They had lost seven of their regular players to Mohammedan Sporting Club. We played for East Bengal and that year, thank God, we did not lose any match to any Indian or foreign team. That was 1980. We won all the trophies we took part in. That’s how I started playing in India.

Since I was playing at the top level, I preferred to stay on. Later on I got married. By that time, a lot of my friends who were there during my school days were no more in Iran. They had gone to different parts of the world for studies. My parents also keep coming to India every year or every alternate year. So, I preferred to remain in India. Besides, food habits, culture, traditions are more or less similar among the Iranians and the Indians.

And I preferred Calcutta to anywhere else in India. I don’t miss Iran much. My parents are the main reason for my going there. They still stay in Iran. They travel back and forth. A sister of mine lives in Bombay. So, they also come to Bombay. I don’t get the time to go to Iran. If I go there, I have to stay there for at least a week or two weeks. Here, I am very busy with the games and the children and home and office. So, I prefer to be here.

Jamshid Nassiri at CC&FC

What are your early football memories in Iran?

I remember we were picked up from school tournaments in Iran in 1974-75. I was about 14-15. I was selected for the state team in national-level tournament for schools. From there, I was selected for the national sub-junior team. And subsequently, I played for the country in the national U-17 team. At same time I was selected for the Iran youth World Cup team, which was in 1977 in Tunisia. I always wanted to play for the country. And for us, playing for the country is more important than anything. Six months before coming to India, in 1979, I started playing for the Iran senior team.

Who were your heroes?

Johan Cruyff from Holland. And of course a player like (Franz) Beckenbauer. These two were my favourite players in those days. And, of course, Gerd Muller. As a striker, I used to watch him... how he scores. Out of nothing he could score a goal. During my time, one of the Iranian strikers who was very famous was Hossein Kalani. My brother, Jahangir Nassiri, was also very good. He was an excellent striker, equally good in the air and on the ground.

Did you always want to be a striker who scored mostly with his head?

I used to spend a lot of time heading the ball. When I was in India, the majority of goals that I scored were from heading... seven out of 10. It was not only mine but also my coach’s idea... he said ‘You have got good height... your accuracy at heading is good... so work on that’.

When and where did you meet Majid Bashkar?

We used to play together when we were young. We were from the same state, Khuzestan, in the south of Iran. It is very famous for football, like Bengal. Both of us were picked from our state to represent the national team. He was three years senior to me. He was a member of the Iran World Cup national team in 1978. We played for the champion club of Iran for two years before coming to India. We came to India together and we also played for the Aligarh Muslim University.

Was he the most talented footballer you have played with?

I think Majid was the best in India. Even up to now.... Majid was an excellent player, the best among all the foreigners till date. He was excellent in shooting, in scheming.Very skilful and strong player, good in the air as well on the ground.

Any instance of his special skills that you still recount?

I remember we faced Mohammedan Sporting in the finals of the Rovers Cup in Bombay, in 1983. We were down by a goal and then Majid scored almost from the centre circle with a free-kick! Those days Bhaskar Ganguly was the top goalkeeper of India; he couldn’t even reach the ball. He still says that he hasn’t seen a goal like that, from such a distance, such a powerful kick. There is a photo of him diving, but the ball is already in the goal!

What went wrong with Majid?

He did not realise that as a football player when you are in a top position, you have to have your own restrictions and your own limits. He was not taking care of himself. Even when I used to talk to him and advise him, he wouldn’t listen. He never listened to anybody. When you are in a top position, you have to look after yourself, your career, both on the ground and off it. You cannot just waste your future. Unfortunately, he did not bother and his career did not last much. Five years...

Where is he now? Are you in touch?

He has gone back to Iran and he won’t keep in touch with anybody. He is very lazy to keep in touch with friends. He is not a caring type of person. When he was here, I used to look after his situation and inform his parents that ‘He is okay... he is staying with me’.... I am not in touch with him. He was coaching in Iran...

What are some of your favourite Maidan memories?

Lots… twice I was the highest scorer in Calcutta League and on both the occasions, I was with East Bengal… 1981 and 1985. And later on I came to know that I had scored the winning goals in three consecutive Federation Cup finals, 1983-84-85. In 1983 and 1984, I was with Mohammedan Sporting and in 1985 I was with East Bengal. And of course, I played a lot of matches, especially against Mohun Bagan…

Who were your favourite Maidan footballers?

I used to like Manoranjan Bhattacharya as a stopper… as a defender, he was excellent. Then Sudhir Karmakar was excellent. Sudip Chatterjee was brilliant. You used to enjoy playing with them. Krishanu Dey… Bikash Panji later on… . The current players, I don’t think they can match anybody from those days, quality-wise as well in height, strength, technique and stamina…. There was I.M. Vijayan and Joe Paul Ancheri but apart from them, there was no consistency....

Any impressive talent from the current crop?

More or less everybody is same. There is no decision-maker player. During Bhaichung’s (Bhutia) time, when he was playing at his peak… maybe he was for some time… but that also slowly went away.

What can be done to revive Maidan soccer?

There’s been a lot of decline… there are many reasons. There should be better grounds and better facilities for the crowd. In those days the galleries used to be wooden, but they used to be maintained well. They used to be packed. At least 10,000 used to come for our practice alone. During the matches, four or five thousand used to stand outside the grounds and the galleries were packed.

The facilities available at East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting slowly deteriorated. And there was no care taken to correct the deficiencies. The administrators also did not pay any attention to develop and market the game. Also, the players’ willingness to give their best for their clubs is not there anymore. There is no dedication to the club jersey.... Slowly it is going to die.

I remember India used to beat Japan by two goals, four goals… and China and Korea… all that has become a distant memory. We used to defeat Nepal by half a dozen or 10 goals and Pakistan too… now India either draws or loses against Pakistan. Nepal has already defeated India. Why? Nepal has done its homework properly… it has four academies.

So what is the solution?

They should try to overhaul the whole system of football in India. In different parts of the world, there are youth development plans from different age groups. We are not doing that. They should invest time on youngsters. They say, catch them young. They should be guided and looked after.

I am associated with school football tournaments. There is plenty of talent. This year, I have seen not less than eight or 10 quality players… but nobody is bothered about them. They will get wasted after playing in their area and then they will get injured and their parents will say, ‘Don’t play anymore, concentrate and study’. Those who say there is no talent, please tell them to come to me… I will take them where there is talent, but they have to promise that these boys will be looked after.

How would you describe your India experience?

I love India. I love the tradition and the culture. It is more or less like Iran. In fact, we have common language also… common words… in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Marathi, you get a lot of Persian words. The food habits, culture is more or less the same. There may be little differences like less masala there and more masala here! People are more friendly here. So, I prefer Bengal to anywhere else in India. They are much more warm. They are also very sporting.

Is Calcutta more special since you met your wife Suzanne here? How did that happen?

I had an Iranian friend who used to come to see our games. He and other Iranians those days, during 1980-84/85, they used to come and watch each and every match of ours. Those days the matches used to be held in Eden Gardens and East Bengal and Mohammedan grounds. They used to be regular in the gallery. One of them was married to my wife’s mother. That’s how I met my wife. I knew him and he used to invite us for dinner sometimes… Majid, me…

What is your favourite place in Calcutta?

Maidan (smiles).

What is your favourite food?

I prefer Indian food… I also love Bengali food a lot… fish curry… bekti and rohu… prawn curry… I love Chingri’r Malai Curry and that fish which is in the leaves… paturi.

Where did you learn to cook?

I learnt it from my mom and my dad. I like cooking. Since I was a kid, sometimes my mom used to be in Tehran where my brother used to work. So, from that age, I started cooking. My dad used to cook for himself and me. So, he used to teach me also. I like making north Indian food… tarka, dal, rajma, kebab, keema. I haven’t tried a paturi or Malai Curry as I am scared to make a mess of it! I make fish curry though and I like bekti fried with dal and mashed potato… plain and simple.

Your younger son, Kiyan (10), wants to play like Messi…

He is playing very well. I will try to put him in some academy or send him abroad. Right now he is with me. Every week once or twice, we practise. On his own, he plays with (CC&FC) club children. And he is playing in the school also. Yes, he likes Messi’s game, skill and intelligence. Kiyan has potential. He needs backing and proper guidance. We will be there to see what can be done for him. I have told him to have one target and that is to play for the country. For that you have to work hard, like you study hard.

What’s a day in the life of Jamshid Nassiri like now?

Most of my time is spent on the grounds. I go for walks in the Maidan after dropping my children to school. I exercise and then come back and go to work (football consultant at High Life Event Management). I am also coaching Calcutta International School. Afternoons are spent on the grounds too. I play during the football season, from May to September… we have our own veteran team at CC&FC. Every weekend we play friendly matches.

CC&FC and he

How long have you been a member of CC&FC? Do you remember any special match here?

I have been a member since 1987. I remember one very good game that we played in Haldia. Our CEO (Deepankar Nandi) was there. Ravi Kidwai (club president) was there. Pranab Ganguly, an ex-Mohun Bagan player, was also there. Then Santo Mitra, Shyam Thapa, Dr (Vece) Paes and a lot of the club’s senior members were there. We had good fun. It was raining and the grounds were slushy. We scored some six goals and I scored two or three of them. The opponent team was also good...

Do you know how many goals you have scored for the club?

I cannot remember... it may be more than 500... but the most important goals have been on tours to Singapore and Thailand. I have scored a lot of goals for the Merchant’s Cup too.

Saionee Chakraborty
(Are Majid and Jamshid the best foreign footballers to play on the Maidan? Tell t2@abp.in)