Calcutta: A day after his father’s demise, Krishna Lall, son of Shew Mewa Lall (not Sahu Mewalal), said he would not accept any award or recognition if the government decides to honour his father posthumously.

“I don’t want to betray his feelings by taking any award on his behalf. If nobody came to see him and recognise his achievements when he was alive, then what’s the point doing the same after his death.

“My father was a man of principles. He never backed me for getting into service. He felt his name would be maligned if he sought favours,” Krishna, an employee at South Eastern Railway, said.

The legendary Indian footballer, who guided India to the 1951 Asian Games title with his solitary goal in the final, died on Friday after a brief illness.

Krishna said his father was humiliated twice. “First was when he was ignored for Padma Shri. The award was first given to Gostho Pal (1962) then Sailen Manna (1971). We expected him to get the honour too. But later, Chuni Goswami (1983), P.K. Banerjee (1990) and Bhaichung Bhutia (2008) were awarded... They are all great footballers but my father too should have figured among them,” he added.

“His last shock came when the hospital authorities at South Eastern Railway, where he spent 38 years of his service, did not recognise him and asked who he was.”

Krishna clarified his father’s name had been wrongly spelt all along. “It’s terribly shocking to see my father’s name appearing wrongly all over… That shows that despite his years of service to Indian football, people hardly knew his name. It reflects the plight of former sportspersons who have done so much for the country but without any recognition.”