East Bengal legend and former India defender Ilyas Pasha has passed away

East Bengal legend and former India defender Ilyas Pasha passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said.

He was survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons.

Primarily a right-back, Pasha made his international debut in 1987 and represented the country in two editions of the Nehru Cup (1987 and 1991), the 1991 SAF Games and the 1992 Asian Cup qualifiers.

At the domestic level, he won two Santosh Trophy titles with Bengal, in 1993 and 1995. But it was with East Bengal that he had a truly trophy-laden legacy.

During nine years at the club, Pasha won 28 trophies, including five Calcutta Football League trophies, as many IFA Shields and four Durand Cup trophies.

He was one of East Bengal’s captains in the 1990 season when they won the historic domestic treble – the Durand Cup, IFA Shield and Rovers Cup – and also wore the captain’s armband when the Red and Gold Brigade clinched its first international title at the Wai Wai Cup in 1993.

He also wore the captain’s armband when East Bengal recorded a sensational 6-2 victory over Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC in the 1993/94 Asian Cup Winners’ Cup. He received a special Lifetime Achievement Award from East Bengal in 2012.

Published on January 22, 2026