Ilyas Pasha Passes Away: Former India Defender and East Bengal Legend

Exam-focused facts from the 25 January 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Former Indian international footballer and East Bengal defender Ilyas Pasha passed away after a prolonged illness as announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
He made his senior international debut in 1987 and represented India in two editions of the Nehru Cup (1987 and 1991), the 1991 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, and the 1992 Asian Cup qualifiers.
At the domestic level, he won two Santosh Trophy titles with Bengal in 1993 and 1995.
During his nine-year tenure with East Bengal, he won 28 trophies, including five Calcutta Football League titles, five IFA Shields, and four Durand Cup trophies.
He captained East Bengal to a historic domestic treble in 1990, winning the Durand Cup, IFA Shield, and Rovers Cup.
Under his captaincy, East Bengal secured its first international title at the Wai Wai Cup in 1993 and registered a 6-2 victory over Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC in the 1993-94 Asian Cup Winners’ Cup.
He was conferred with a Lifetime Achievement Award by East Bengal in 2012.