AMAL PHUKAN 30.1.1949 ? 25.5.2006

For those who followed football in Assam during the Seventies, Amal Phukan?s was one name that needs no introduction.

One of the little masters on the state?s soccer scene, Amal Phukan had represented Assam from 1972 to 1979, captaining the state team in 1973 and 1974. Recalling the gifted skills of his teammate, Bimal Baruah remarks: ?Amal?s back-volleyed goal, which enabled us to force a draw with mighty Punjab in a Santosh Trophy match in Ernakulam in Kerala in 1973, will forever remain etched in memory as one of the most magical moments in my life. It was a moment that best reflected the immense potential of this brilliant footballer.?

One of the most feared strikers that Assam ever produced, Phukan ? representing Oil India Limited, a company he joined in 1975 ? proved his class by scoring against fancied Malaysia in a DCM Trophy match in New Delhi in 1977. Representing undivided Dibrugarh district, Phukan scored the first hattrick in a semi-final match in the inter-district football tournament against Jorhat in 1969.

Born in Makum in Tinsukia district on January 30, 1949, Phukan?s humility enabled him to easily handle his larger-than-life image in his native town. An NIS coach, Phukan coached the OIL team for several years, besides helping out a number of local clubs and footballers.

I was introduced to Phukan by his colleague, Pulin Baruah. It took only a few minutes for Amal Phukan to become Amalda. As the days passed, I used to invariably visit Amalda and discuss almost everything under the sun but with special focus on football, the current form and prospects of the OIL football team, the ups and downs of Assam football and its future.

At times, the bespectacled Phukan with his relatively frail physique and receding hairline camouflaged his inner strength and abilities. This prompted me to wonder how this man once wreaked havoc among his opponent teams in the football field.