‘Kempaiah was one of the greatest half-backs’

Condoling his death, Narayanan said he had lost a good friend in Kempaiah.

“We used to call him (Kempaiah) a locomotive…He never got exhausted. His tackling, blocking and clearing skills were excellent and he would make his way out from nowhere… He would deceive the opponents like a Trojan. It was for this reason we used to call him a locomotive,” Narayanan, who did a hattrick with Olympics (1952 Helsinki, 1956 and 1960), said.

“He was very hardworking with a never-say-die attitude. Even when our coach (SA Rahim) was off, he would continue his work out,” the former goalkeeper, who is currently in Kolkata, said.

In fact, it was here that Narayanan for the last time met the Bangalorean.

“More than a year ago we were invited to play a veterans’ exhibition match at the Mohun Bagan ground. All the former players including PK Banerjee, had participated and rejoiced our days playing for India,” recalls Narayanan.

The 73-year-old Narayanan also represented India in two Asian Games and played for Tata FC, Mumbai for almost two decades.

Another Olympian, PK Banerjee, also remembered the days when he made his international debut (vs Sri Lanka) alongside Kempaiah in the Asian Quadrangular in Dhaka, some 53 years back.

“I have lost a great friend in him. He was a thorough gentleman and was very cool-headed. In the match against Sri Lanka, I had netted two in our 4-2 win. He also played very well and was very confident.

“The journey began from there and we went on to represent India in 1956 and 1960 Olympics. A right-half, Kempaiah, was also good in the central midfield. A fighter who never bowed to pressure,” Banerjee recalled.

Kempaiah played a crucial role in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth, losing to Bulgaria in the play-off for third place.

He also played for India in the Tokyo Asian Games 1958 and Rome Olympics in 1960.

He was also a part of the silver medal winning 1959 Merdeka Cup team.

Kempaiah began his career with Bangalore Muslims during the 1950s and represented Mysore State Football Team in Santosh Trophy.

In 1956, he reached the football capital of India Kolkata and played for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan till 1964. Kempaiah is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.