AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation condoled the death of former India forward Sadatullah Khan, who passed away in Bengaluru after a brief illness on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. He was 75.

The genial dribbler par excellence was a tough-tackling forward for whom no defences held any terror. More importantly, he had the ability to cut in and out or produce the half turn or the full turn with the ball glued to his feet. Once he had it in control, it was tough for anyone to snatch it.

With such abilities, Sadatullah Khan represented India at the international level during the 1968 Merdeka Cup. He made his senior national team debut against Malaysia on August 11, 1968, in Kuala Lumpur, and went on to earn five caps for the country, scoring three goals (two against South Vietnam and one versus Burma) all in the 1968 Merdeka Cup.

At the domestic level, Sadatullah represented Mysore in the Santosh Trophy in 1965 and 1966. At the club level, he enjoyed a distinguished career with several leading teams in the country.

With Mohammedan Sporting, Sadatullah won the Calcutta Football League in 1967 and was widely regarded as the architect of the title-winning campaign. He also won the Stafford Cup (1970) and the Bordoloi Trophy (1970) with the Black and White Brigade. In 1969, Sadatullah Khan turned out for East Bengal and was part of the team that won the Rovers Cup that year.

He later also represented ITI, Bangalore, in 1971 and 1972. The All India Football Federation joins the Indian football fraternity in mourning the loss of Sadatullah Khan and honours his contributions to Indian football.