Summary
GIL HERON'S death last month saw focus trained on the question of Celtic's first black player, although correspondents to The Scotsman have been quick to make known the case of Mohammed Abdul Salim. As well as being from Calcutta, his penchant for playing without boots distinguished him further. Salim was certainly Celtic's first Asian player.
It is hardly surprising that little is known about the forward if even in his home country his trip to Scotland is regarded as a "lost episode". This is how a recent book, A Social History of Indian Football, described the tale of Salim, who is credited with being the first Indian to play professional football anywhere in Europe. He was unhonoured in his own country, although the issue is complicated by political circumstances, with his career coinciding with the last years of the British Raj.See the full content of this document
Extract
Barefooted Indian Who Left Calcutta to Join Celtic
A Social History of Indian Football, written by Boria Majumdar and Kausik Bandyopadhyay, seeks to "resuscitate" Salim's place in Indian football, and explores why he faded into oblivion in h...
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