Pem Dorji was a celebrated

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

defender from the state of

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...

, who represented the

India national football team The India national football team represents India in international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The team is affiliated to FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Indian team, which was once cons ...

in international tournaments including the 1984 Asian Cup in Singapore. He also played for Mohammedan Sporting.

Early life and career

Born in 1959 in a small hamlet of Ben in

South Sikkim Namchi District is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarters is at Namchi. Geography South Sikkim lies at an altitude of 400 to 2000 metres and has a temperate climate for most of the year. Major urban centres include Nam ...

to parents Ganesh Kumari Gurung and Gyampu T Chingapa, Pem Dorji completed his education from Scottish University Mission Institute (SUMI) in

Kalimpong Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...

and later from Pelling Senior Secondary School in West

. From his early childhood days, Dorji started playing football. His passion for the game made him the part of the first Sikkimese football team which played at the National Championship at

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

in 1976. The game passaged his entry towards the world of football as a professional player. Dorji played predominantly as a defender and midfielder and scripted many memorable performances during a career which stretched almost for a decade.

Club career

Dorji started to play for the renowned football club of India, Mohammedan Sporting Kolkata from 1980 and in 1982 in

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by Indian Football Association (WB), under state football leagues in India. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is offi ...

and won the league in 1981. Dorji dawn with colours for various clubs including

Mahendra Police Club Nepal Police Club (formerly known as Mahendra Police Club) is a sports club owned and managed by Nepal Police. The club competes in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League, the top flight of Nepali club football. History Established in 1952 and ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

-giants

East Bengal Club East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top fl ...

and

Mohun Bagan AC Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

alongside

Food Corporation of India Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...

. He was also an important part of the Sikkim football team during their Santosh Trophy campaigns.

Personal life

Dorji was married to Pushpa Yonzon and the couple have two children Zennyla Bhutia and Marco Bhutia. Dorji died at a age of 42. He was battling with cancer for long. An incurable disease took his last breath in a nursing home in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, on 18 October 2001.

International career

He became the first

ese to captain the

in the Pre-Olympic tournament held in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Gradually, Dorji represented India in various International matches. He played at the Chinese Great Wall Cup in 1984, and won the prestigious medal for the country. He later represented India at the South Asian Football Federation Games and further played the famous

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

in 1988. Dorji represented India in the Jawaharlal Nehru Gold Cup in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988 alongside

Bangladesh President's Gold Cup The Bangladesh President's Gold Cup was an international association football invitational cup competition held between 1981 until 1993. It was hosted and played in Bangladesh and succeeded the Aga Khan Gold Cup which was held in a similar format. ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

in 1983, 1984 and 1987.

Honours

Mohammedan Sporting *

: 1981 *

Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. It was the second oldest tournament in India after Durand Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by some British football ent ...

: 1980; Runner-up 1981 & 1982 *

Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis. Federation Cup may also refer to: * Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament *Federation Cup ...

: Runner-up 1981–82 *

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield to ...

: Runner-up 1982 *

DCM Trophy The Delhi Cloth Mills Trophy, known simply as D.C.M. Trophy, was an invitational football tournament in India. It was held annually in New Delhi and was organised by the local Delhi Football Association. It was India's first football tournamen ...

: Runner-up 1982 Individual * Roll of Honour by the

Government of Sikkim The Government of Sikkim also known as the State Government of Sikkim is the subnational government of the Indian state of Sikkim and its 6 districts, created by the National Constitution as the legislative, executive and judicial authority to ...

in 2002.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

*
Pem Dorji
(stats) at

RSSSF The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF) is an international organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorji, Pem Living people Indian footballers 1959 births Footballers from Sikkim People from Namchi district India men's international footballers 1984 AFC Asian Cup players Men's association football defenders Indian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Nepal Mohammedan SC (Kolkata) players East Bengal Club players Mohun Bagan AC players Calcutta Football League players Nepal Police Club footballers