Former Mohun Bagan Super Giant president Swapan Sadhan Bose, fondly known as “Tutu Babu” in Kolkata’s Maidan circles, died late Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 79.

One of the most influential football administrators in Indian football history, Bose had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata for multiple health complications. According to family sources, he breathed his last around 11.45 pm.

Bose is survived by his sons, Srinjay and Soumik Bose. Srinjay currently serves as secretary of Mohun Bagan.

His mortal remains will be kept at the Mohun Bagan club tent on Wednesday to allow fans, former players and sports lovers to pay their final respects. The cremation is scheduled for 4.30 pm later in the day.

“It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Tutu Bose. He was the best father and grandfather one could ever have, a remarkable administrator, and the strongest pillar of support for everyone around him. A true banyan tree in our lives,” his grandson Arinjoy Bose wrote in a Facebook post.

Known for his administrative acumen and strong influence in Kolkata football, Bose played a defining role in shaping Mohun Bagan’s modern identity. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he served the club in multiple capacities, including secretary and president, becoming synonymous with the green-and-maroon institution.

During his tenure, the club navigated several financial and administrative crises while also embracing transformative changes that altered the landscape of Indian football. Bose was instrumental in opening the doors for foreign footballers at Mohun Bagan, breaking the club’s century-old tradition of fielding only Indian players.

One of the landmark decisions under his administration was the signing of Nigerian striker Chima Okorie, who went on to become one of the most iconic foreign footballers in Indian football history after being brought in from arch-rivals East Bengal FC.

Bose had risen to prominence in Mohun Bagan administration after defeating veteran administrator Dhiren De in a closely watched club election, eventually emerging as one of the most powerful figures in the Maidan.

He also played a key role in the merger of Mohun Bagan with ATK Mohun Bagan FC — formerly ATK or Atletico de Kolkata — in 2020, ushering in a new corporate era for the club and helping it transition into the Indian Super League age.

Tributes poured in from across the Indian football fraternity, with former players, club officials and supporters remembering Bose as a visionary administrator who left an indelible mark on the sport in the country.

With PTI inputs

When Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr right after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it seemed like a pragmatic move in more ways than one. At 37, the prolific Portuguese forward had already achieved almost everything in the game — five World Cup appearances, a European Championship title, and hundreds of goals — making a move to a less competitive league, coupled with enormous financial rewards, appear like a natural next step.

The intent of the Saudis, of course, was clear – CR7 could be their brand ambassador as they wanted to give a major facelift to the Saudi Pro League to be a part of the sports washing plan in their bid for the 2030 World Cup. The regional big brothers had then just lost a game of one-upmanship to Qatar, who defied all negative publicity to host a successful World Cup, and they wanted to make amends.

As the 41-year-old was named in Roberto Martinez’s 27-man roster on Tuesday, Ronaldo’s decision to opt for a less demanding league was vindicated. It has kept him in top shape and relatively injury-free while the most valuable brand in football still went on doing what he likes best – scoring goals for fun. The first man to play six World Cups in it’s 96-year-old history (his biggest competitor Leo Messi is set to join him once the Argentina squad is named), Ronaldo is expected to play the leader in a seasoned squad which also boasts of the likes of Bruno Fernandez and Joao Felix.

It’s a no brainer that he will not be on the pitch in the upcoming World Cup for 90 minutes, but Martinez backed Ronaldo to be the leader of the pack – unlike the way his predecessor Fernando Santos handled him four years back. ‘’He’s a model captain,’’ the Spanish coach said as he reminded that Ronaldo was a key piece in his jigsaw in Portugal’s recent European Nations League triumph. ‘’When you talk about him, there are two sides: the global soccer icon and there’s our captain.’’

The million dollar question is: what is it that has made Ronaldo hold on to such highest standards of athleticism and consistency? Records say that only seven players over the age of 40 have appeared in World Cup finals with Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary holding the record for the oldest player to ever appear in a World Cup match - 45 years and 161 days. He made one appearance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia during a 2-1 group stage defeat to Saudi Arabia to set the record by more than two years.

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 43, is so far the oldest player to be named in a full squad this year by some distance. However, the expectations of the man with over 970 goals across all competitions is sky high one – making one wonder as to what has made him tick in a career spanning over two decades.

A WHOOP biometric testing had recently put Ronaldo’s physiological age to that of someone under 30 – which is backed by a combination of meticulous physical science, psychological targets and tactical adaptation. Unofficial reports suggest that the star’s annual ivestment runs to over $ one million on this head and includes the following regimen:

* Cryotherapy & ice baths: Ronaldo uses cryogenic chambers twice a week to expose his body to sub-zero temperatures, instantly suppressing inflammation and accelerating muscle recovery.

• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: The star utilizes an oxygen-rich hyperbaric chamber to boost tissue repair and keep his muscles highly oxygenated.

• Active Thermogenesis: He averages a massive 17,000 steps per day, ensuring his metabolism remains highly active even outside of formal team training.

• Calculated sleep and nutrition protocols: He emphasizes fixed waking and sleeping windows, routinely clocking 7 to 8.5 hours of deeply regulated sleep to let his nervous system reset.

This is just the top of the iceberg and the results have been showing so far. Come 17 June, when Ronaldo’s Portugal open their campaign against Republic of Congo, another new chapter is set to be written!

The bunch of spunky Indian girls, who made history by finding a place in the top eight of Under-17 AFC Asian Cup on Friday, are now one win away from a berth in the age group Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026. The job is a demanding one as they face hosts China in the quarter final on Monday, but Italian head coach Pamela Conti is not willing to let the golden chance slip.

“It is an incredible achievement,” Conti told the AIFF media after the Young Tigresses ran roughshod in a 4-0 win over Lebanon. “Nobody believed it was possible, but from the very first moment, I believed that if we trained differently, we could achieve what we have done. I am very happy. There are hardly enough words to describe it. I am only grateful to these players, who from day one have always followed everything we asked of them.”

It was a commanding performance against Lebanon which saw Pritika Barman scoring twice while Alva Devi Senjam and Joya added the other goals in a dominant display. A decorated former Italian international, Conti – who took charge of the girls in January – said: “We played an incredible match. Honestly, 4-0 is even a narrow result because we could have scored more goals. What I really liked was the team’s desire to press high, to keep looking for goals, and the very important tactical organisation we showed.

“But the most important thing was qualifying for the knockout stage, and I am extremely happy about that.”

India made the cut for the tournament after a 21-year absence from the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup and were drawn alongside Australia, Japan and Lebanon in a difficult Group B. While defeats against the former two left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance, the Young Tigresses responded emphatically in the decisive final group game.

“From the first day I arrived, I told the players that we had to work, work, and work,” Conti said. “I do not know any other path to success apart from hard work. Nobody complained, nobody got tired of it. We trained for almost three and a half months, twice a day, to achieve this.”

China, India’s next opponents, finished Group A as toppers with 15 goals against Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand and conceding none. “China are a very strong team,” Conti said. “They have many technically gifted players, they are good tactically, and they have the advantage of playing at home with a lot of crowd support.”

“I already said before the tournament that we would play against every team with dignity, and that is exactly what this team is doing. Playing with dignity gives you something extra, not only in football, but also in life.

“We will go there to play our game, to make things difficult for them, and hopefully we can win and achieve the World Cup qualification that we all want so much,” she added.