East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional
multi-sport
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
club based in
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 ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
. It is best known for its professional men's
football team that competes in the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
, the top flight of the
Indian football. It is
one of the most successful football clubs in the country.
Founded in August 1920, the club became affiliated with the
Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Among the founders was form ...
in 1922 and initially played in the Calcutta Football League Second Division before earning promotion to the First Division in 1924. East Bengal won its first First Division league title in 1942 and has since won it a record 39 times. The club was a founding member of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, the first nation-wide football league in India in 1996, which it has won three times since.
They have also won eight
Federation Cups, three
Super Cups, a record 29
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 ...
[ Fourth oldest football tournament, organized by the ]IFA
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
( W.B.), and played between the local clubs of West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
and other invited ones. titles, and a record 16
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
titles, making the club one of the most decorated in Indian football.
East Bengal is one of the most widely supported football clubs in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. The club is mainly supported by the
Bangals, i.e., the immigrant population from the eastern region of Bengal, who were forced to leave their homes (modern-day
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
) during the
partition of 1947. For those people, East Bengal Club became a source of identity and hope. The huge influx of dispossessed into the state led to a socio-economic crisis. This led to rivalries among the immigrant and native population of West Bengal, popularly named as Bangal (বাঙাল) in every sphere of life, from jobs to schools and even on football pitches. As a result, East Bengal has a long standing rivalry with its cross-town competitors
Mohun Bagan
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 ...
, now known as
ATK Mohun Bagan, which is mainly supported by the native population, named popularly as Ghoti (ঘটি), with whom it competes in the
Kolkata derby
The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match"; bn, বড় ম্যাচ) is the football match in Kolkata, between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan (Mohun Bagan till 2019–20). In January 2020, the owners of a Kolkata based Indian Su ...
, Asia's biggest football rivalry. East Bengal also shares a local rivalry with another Kolkata club,
Mohammedan. The club dons the iconic red and golden yellow colours, which give it the nickname of ''Red and Gold Brigade and Laal Holud (লাল হলুদ)''. The both teams have separate nicknames for their adversaries, i.e Macha (মাচা) for the
Mohun Bagan
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 ...
fans and Lota (লোটা) for the East Bengal fans. In 2011, East Bengal was ranked second amongst all Indian teams and 554th internationally by the
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
in the international rankings of clubs for the first decade of the 21st century (2001-2010).
The club has other departments too such as the
women's football,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
,
women's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries around the world and 108 national teams participate internationally. 11 of them have WTest and WODI ...
,
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
,
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
and
eSports teams.
History
Formation
On 28 July 1920, Jorabagan Club was scheduled to play against
Mohun Bagan
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 ...
in the Coochbehar Cup. Jorabagan Club sent out their starting eleven but with the notable exclusion of
defender Sailesh Bose, who was dropped from the squad for undisclosed reasons. The then vice-president of Jorabagan Club, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, asked in vain for Bose to be included in the line-up. When his request was not welcomed, Chaudhuri left the club along with Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, and Aurobinda Ghosh. They formed East Bengal Club as a Sports and Cultural Association in the neighbourhood of
Jorabagan
Jorabagan is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. As a neighbourhood, it covers a small area but its importance is primarily because of the police station.
Etymology
Jorabagan, meaning ‘a ...
on 1 August 1920. The name East Bengal was chosen for the newly formed club as the founders hailed from the eastern region of Bengal.
Sarada Ranjan Ray took on the role of becoming the first president of this newly formed club while Suresh Chandra Chowdhury and Tarit Bhusan Roy were declared to be the first joint secretaries of the club.
Soon after, Nagen Kali, M. Talukdar, B. Sen, N. Gossain, Goshto Paul (on loan from Mohun Bagan)'','' P. Bardhan, S. Das, S. Tagore, J. Mukherjee, Ramesh Chandra Sen, S. Bose, C. Bose, A. Roy, and A. Bannerjee were announced to be the members of the first team squad by the board.
Early Years: 1920 – 1930s
![East_Bengal_FC_players_and_officials](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/East_Bengal_FC_players_and_officials.jpg)
In the same month of its formation, the club participated in its maiden tournament in, the Hercules Cup, a seven-a-side tournament. On 11 August 1920, the club played their first match in the tournament and in their history against Metropolitan College, which they went on to win 4–0. East Bengal went on to win the tournament, announcing the arrival of a club that would break many records in the future. The club also won Khagendra Shield in 1921.
Following this, the club became affiliated with the
Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Among the founders was form ...
(IFA) and entered league play in the IFA Second Division. The club finished placing third in their maiden season in the league. The first match between East Bengal and
Mohun Bagan
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 ...
took place on 8 August 1921 in the Cooch Behar Cup semi-final match, which didn't turn in the favour of either of the teams as it ended in a goalless draw. It was an unofficial derby at that time.
In 1924, the club won the Second Division and gained promotion to the IFA First Division after finishing in second place to Cameroons 'B'. As Cameroons 'A' team was already in the First Division the 'B' team could not gain promotion to the same league. East Bengal was next in line for promotion. However, more controversy arose since the IFA allowed only two Indian-based clubs in the IFA First Division at a time (at that time, the IFA was a British organization). This rule had previously deprived clubs like "Kumartuli" and "Town" from entering the First Division. During a governing body meeting of the IFA, the nine British clubs approved East Bengal's promotion to the First Division. Ironically, the two Indian clubs,
Mohun Bagan
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 ...
and
Aryan, opposed it. East Bengal's efforts led to the abolition of the oppressive Indian club limit rule.
In 1925, East Bengal made its IFA First Division debut, and Mona Dutta became the maiden goalscorer for the club in the league. On 28 May 1925, the first official
Kolkata Derby
The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match"; bn, বড় ম্যাচ) is the football match in Kolkata, between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan (Mohun Bagan till 2019–20). In January 2020, the owners of a Kolkata based Indian Su ...
was played, where Nepal Chakraborty scored the only goal for East Bengal.
1940s – 1970s
![East_Bengal_FC_1949_IFA_Shield](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/East_Bengal_FC_1949_IFA_Shield.jpg)
It took the club till 1942 to win their first IFA First Division title. East Bengal won their first
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 ...
in 1943. They then achieved the double in 1945 by winning both the
Calcutta Football League (CFL) and IFA Shield. In 1948, East Bengal became the first team to defeat a foreign club on home soil. They won 2–0 against the visiting Chinese Olympic XI. East Bengal won their first
treble in the 1949 season, by winning the Calcutta League,
the IFA Shield and the Rovers Cup, becoming the first Indian club to do so.
The club went on to win the 1949 Rovers Cup and the
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
in 1951. That period saw the rise of the
Pancha Pandavas. The five players, P. B. A. Saleh, Ahmed Khan, P. Venkatesh, Appa Rao, and K. P. Dhanaraj played together at the club from 1949 to 1953. The club also won its first DCM Trophy in 1950. The club also won three straight IFA Shields in 1949, 1950, and 1951. The
English Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
1951–52 annual almanac adjudged East Bengal as the best club in Asia.
On being recommended by the president of India,
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...
, the club was invited by the
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
Youth Festival Committee in 1953 to participate in a football tournament. They also partook in a tour of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
the same year. They were defeated by
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
side by a margin of 13–1. Apart from football, East Bengal also won the Beighton Cup hockey tournament for the first time in 1957 and the Bengal Hockey Association league in 1960. Again the club won the
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 ...
several times during this era—1962, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975—as well as the
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972 and 1978. The club also won its first Sait Nagjee football tournament and Bordoloi Trophy in 1968.
The club stunned everyone by winning the 1970 IFA Shield against
PAS Club of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
by a score of 1–0, in front of 60,000 supporters at the
Eden Gardens
The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000.
Eden Gardens is often re ...
. Later, the club won the 1973 IFA Shield by defeating
Pyongyang City SC of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
. In 1978, East Bengal won its first
Federation Cup title. The club became joint winners in cricket with Mohun Bagan of
Cricket Association of Bengal
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is the governing body for cricket in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its headquarters are located in the Eden Gardens stadium, Kolkata. It is a full member of Board of Control for Cricket in India.
It gover ...
senior league and senior-division knockout tournament.
East Bengal won the Calcutta Football League for six straight years from 1970 to 1975.
In 1970, East Bengal topped the Calcutta Football League table without conceding a single goal. East Bengal won multiple times against their arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan, including a record margin of 5–0 in the history of the Kolkata Derby, in 1975. The same year, East Bengal won the CFL title without losing a match. The 1970s decade of the club is also commonly known as "''Shonali Doshok"'' (in English Golden era).
1980s – 1990s
The club won the
Federation Cup in 1980 and again in 1985. They also became the first Indian club to play in the newly reorganized
Asian Club Championship
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competitio ...
in
1985–86.
The club then won their second treble in 1990, under coach Naeemuddin, by winning the IFA Shield, the Rovers Cup, and the Durand Cup in the same season. The club also won the Stafford Cup (1986) and the McDowell's Cup (1995, 1997). In 1993, East Bengal won its first-ever international title, the Wai Wai Cup in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
. The club also won the Federation Cup, the IFA Shield, the Calcutta Football League, the Durand Cup, and the Rovers Cup several times during this period.
In 1996, the club became the founding member of the first nationwide football league in India, the National Football League.
In 1984, Dipak Das joined the club and revamped it. He brought professionalism and converted the football team into a private, limited company. He also secured sponsorship from local brands and companies like Khadims. In 1998, he collaborated with
Vijay Mallya
Vijay Vittal Mallya (born 18 December 1955) is an Indian businessman, former politician and fugitive. He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India.
T ...
's
United Breweries Group
United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL), also called UB Group, is an Indian conglomerate
headquartered in UB City, Bangalore, Karnataka. Its core business includes beverages and investments in various sectors. The company markets beer un ...
, which then formed a new Private Limited Company, with a 50–50 shareholding, called United East Bengal Football Team Private Limited and incorporated the football team—the first in the country. The team was renamed Kingfisher East Bengal FC.
2000s – 2010s
The club entered the 21st century in style, winning the
2000–01 National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
season. They became the first club to win back-to-back titles after winning the
2002–03 and
2003–04 versions of the league. The club went on to win the Federation Cup again in 2007,
2009,
2010 and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
. They also won the
Indian Super Cup in 2006 and 2011.
The club won their third international trophy in the
2003 ASEAN Club Championship
The 2003 ASEAN Club Championship or the 2003 ACC was the first edition of the ASEAN Club Championship, an international association football competition between domestic champion clubs sides affiliated with the member associations of the ASEAN F ...
, in
Jakarta,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. East Bengal is still the only Indian football team to win any major trophy outside the country.
In 2004, East Bengal also won the San Miguel International Cup in Nepal. The club was invited to the tournament by
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
, celebrating their 120th Anniversary. In 2004, Leicester City also had partnerships with East Bengal. Then
FIFA president
The following is a list of presidents of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world association football governing body.
Presidents Daniel Burley Woolfall, Rodolphe Seeldrayers, and Arthur Drewry died during the ...
,
Joseph Blatter, visited the club tent on 15 April 2007. After a year, East Bengal became the first Indian football team to win against a West Asian team,
Al Wihdat SC of
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
on foreign soil.
East Bengal also made a record eight appearances, between 2004 and 2015, in the
AFC Cup. The club played in the
semi-finals of 2013 AFC Cup where they lost to
Kuwait SC
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
of Kuwait. The club has the achievement of winning the Calcutta Football League title eight consecutive times from 2010 to 2017, breaking their previous record of six times during the 1970s.
Following the exit of Kingfisher from the club,
Quess Corp signed an agreement with the East Bengal Club and acquired a 70 percent stake in the club in July 2018. The football team was rebranded as Quess East Bengal FC.
On 1 August 2019, the club entered its
100th establishment year. A centenary celebration logo was introduced. Torch rallies and events were organised, and attended by former players, coaches, presidents, etc. The centenary kit was unveiled, which was inspired by the 1925–26 season kit.
The club participated in the
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
, the
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 the
I-League
The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
, and played its first match and won against Army Red in the Durand Cup.
2020 – present
![East Bengal Sporting Club in Maidan, Kolkata 13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/East_Bengal_Sporting_Club_in_Maidan%2C_Kolkata_13.jpg)
The year 2020, saw the wake of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
which halted the ongoing
football season in the country. The then investor, Quess pulled out from the two-year-old agreement by July 2020. On 1 August, the club completed its 100 years of existence. In September,
Shree Cement
Shree Cement is an Indian cement manufacturer, founded in Beawar, Rajasthan, in 1979. Now headquartered in Kolkata (soon to be shifted entirely to Noida), it is one of the biggest cement makers in Northern India. Shree Cement has moved in the ...
was announced as the new investor of the club. The company acquired 76 percent shares of the club and renamed it from "East Bengal Football Club" to "Sporting Club East Bengal".
Later that month, after successful bidding, the club moved from the
I-League
The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
to the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
. In early 2022, the club parted ways with its investor
Shree Cement
Shree Cement is an Indian cement manufacturer, founded in Beawar, Rajasthan, in 1979. Now headquartered in Kolkata (soon to be shifted entirely to Noida), it is one of the biggest cement makers in Northern India. Shree Cement has moved in the ...
.
The partnership between investor group
Shree Cement
Shree Cement is an Indian cement manufacturer, founded in Beawar, Rajasthan, in 1979. Now headquartered in Kolkata (soon to be shifted entirely to Noida), it is one of the biggest cement makers in Northern India. Shree Cement has moved in the ...
and East Bengal Club was terminated after the end of the
2021–22 Indian Super League season
The 2021–22 Indian Super League season is the 8th season of the Indian Super League (ISL) Since its formation and 26th season of the top division of the Indian football league system. The start date and fixtures for the first 11 rounds were a ...
. They returned the sporting rights to the club on 12 April 2022, after both the parties failed to reach an agreement and the final term sheet was not accepted and signed by the club officials.
The club officials, however, stated that East Bengal club shall continue to play in the Indian Super League, and shall be announcing their new investors within the next two weeks. East Bengal club was once again handed another transfer ban by AIFF for non-payment of dues for seven of their players.
![Trophy cabinet of East Bengal Club captured during the 103 years of foundation day program in Kolkata](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Trophy_cabinet_of_East_Bengal_Club_captured_during_the_103_years_of_foundation_day_program_in_Kolkata.jpg)
On 25 May, East Bengal announced the collaboration with
Emami
Emami Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, India. This group trades with their tag name Himani. The company has seven manufacturing units across India and one overseas unit. The Company caters to a num ...
as the principal investors of the club.
The club confirmed their participation in the
2022-23 Indian Super League season with the arrival of the new investors. On 18 July, after two months of contractual discussions between the club and the investor group, the club finally started the recruitment process for the new season after receiving a go-ahead from the investors. On 22 July, the AIFF uplifted the transfer ban set on East Bengal and thus allowed the club to register their new signings for the season. East Bengal appointed
Santosh Trophy winning
Kerala football team
The Kerala football team (Malayalam: കേരള ഫുട്ബോൾ ടീം) is an Indian state level football team representing Kerala in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They have appeared in the Santosh ...
head-coach
Bino George
Bino George Chiramal Padinjarathala (born 22 November 1976) is an Indian professional manager (coach) and former footballer. He was the East Bengal assistant coach to Stephen Constantine for the Indian Super League. He is currently coaching th ...
as the care-taker head coach of the team for the
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
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
, and will become the assistant coach of the team for the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
.
East Bengal also roped in former
Indian national football team coach
Stephen Constantine as the new head-coach of the team for the season.
The club also announced that the formal tie-up between them and the new investor group
Emami
Emami Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, India. This group trades with their tag name Himani. The company has seven manufacturing units across India and one overseas unit. The Company caters to a num ...
.
Crest and colours
Crest
In 1930,
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
's
Satyagraha swept over India and affected football. Indian clubs boycotted the ongoing Calcutta Football League midway through the season. Amidst much confusion, Royal Regiment was declared the winner in the first division. However, East Bengal was not allowed to be promoted to the First Division. Thousands of East Bengal fans and officials decided to hold a protest march at the
East Bengal Ground
The East Bengal Ground, also known as East Bengal–Aryan Ground, is the home stadium of East Bengal and Aryan. The stadium has a capacity of 23,500 people. It is one of the venues for Calcutta Football League.
The stadium lies in the Kolkata ...
. It was at this march that flaming torches were carried by the protesters. And the hand holding
flame torch ''(known as 'Mawshal' or '
মশাল' in
Bangla)'' became the club emblem, which has remained to this day.
Colours
![A_Department_Store_(BOND_0089)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/A_Department_Store_%28BOND_0089%29.jpeg)
The primary and secondary colors of East Bengal are red and yellow respectively. Traditionally, the home kit consists of a red and yellow jersey with black shorts, while the away kit colors vary every year.
These colors came about after the club was formed when the founders debated over them for the club jersey. At that time, the jerseys used to come from England. The founders, while searching, came across the red and gold color shirt hanging at the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. department store in
Chowringhee
Chowringhee (also Chourangi) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road (officially Jawaharlal Nehru Road) runs on its western side. A neighbourhood steeped in history, it is a ...
, Kolkata. It attracted them, and they finalized the colors and jersey. It cost ₹80 in 1920, four times higher than the average. These colours permanently integrated with the club.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Supporters
![East Bengal Club supporters at the Salt Lake Stadium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/East_Bengal_Club_supporters_at_the_Salt_Lake_Stadium.jpg)
East Bengal is a club mainly supported by the migrant population, known as ''
Bangal
Bangal is a term used to refer to the people of East Bengal (usually from the areas of Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barisal and Comilla), now in Bangladesh (as opposed to the Ghotis of West Bengal). The term is used to describe Bengalis from the east, ...
'', from the former Indian part of
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
(now modern-day
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). East Bengal is one of Asia's biggest and most supported football clubs. There are approximately 30 to 40 million supporters from all across the nation and overseas.
In October 2020, the club got voted as the most popular football club in India on an AFC poll by its supporters, gaining approximately 49% of the votes.
East Bengal Ultras, the main
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
(supporters) group of East Bengal, was established in 2013. It was the first ultras group to be established in the country. Since its inception, this group has set many new records and broken older ones. Though initially, people were skeptical about the group, now they have seen in what ways this group is benefitting Indian football. Though all these achievements came along with some controversies. As in the past, there have been fights and hooliganism among the fans of the rival clubs, the administration does not completely trust the group's functioning.
Established on 15 November 2006,
East Bengal the Real Power
East Bengal the Real Power (EBRP) is the first registered fan club in India, which was established on 15 November 2006, and supports the Indian club, East Bengal. It is one of the largest fan clubs in the country. It helps the fans and the club ...
is India's first registered fan club. It is East Bengal's largest fan club and one of the largest in the country. In its early years, its functioning was limited to online platforms, but later on, it became a
supporters' group.
Rivalries
East Bengal have rivalries with
ATK Mohun Bagan,
Mohammedan,
Bengaluru and
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
.
![Kolkata_Derby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Kolkata_Derby.jpg)
East Bengal have their biggest rivalry with its city competitors
ATK Mohun Bagan. East Bengal, as mentioned earlier, is primarily supported by the migrant population of present-day Bangladesh. Unlike East Bengal,
ATK Mohun Bagan is a club mainly supported by the native population of the present-day state of West Bengal. The match that takes place between these two clubs is eminently called the
Kolkata Derby
The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match"; bn, বড় ম্যাচ) is the football match in Kolkata, between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan (Mohun Bagan till 2019–20). In January 2020, the owners of a Kolkata based Indian Su ...
. The Kolkata Derby has its name taken from the
Old Firm Derby between
Celtic and
Rangers and dates back to the 1920s. After Indian independence and the partition of Bengal, the huge influx of immigrants from the eastern part of Bengal led to a socio-economic crisis in the state. This led to rivalries in jobs, business, schools, and even on the football pitch among the immigrants and native population. This rivalry became fierce, and the Kolkata Derby grew in popularity and reached its peak during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Kolkata Derby holds a record of spectators, the most attended sporting event in India.
Ownership
East Bengal is mainly organized as a registered society under the
Societies Registration Act, 1860
The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is a legislation in India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society – education, health, employment etc.
The British Indian Empire, with a wish to encourage such ...
, which means one can avail of membership in the club. There are around 12,000 members.
Although, a
limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the lia ...
, named East Bengal Club Pvt. Ltd., was later formed, and both are governed by the club parallelly. Sponsorships and investments happen via this
corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
company. The club is governed by its own set of rules and regulations.
Amendments An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...
and resolutions are passed via
extraordinary or
annual general meeting.
Currently the football rights are with a new limited company, Emami East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd. jointly owned by East Bengal Club and
Emami Group.
Stadiums
The club has used several stadiums at Kolkata,
Howrah and
Barasat, including the
Eden Gardens
The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000.
Eden Gardens is often re ...
, which has been reserved for
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
since
Salt Lake Stadium
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...
opened in 1984. The first ground used by the club was Kumartuli Park in north Kolkata.
Salt Lake Stadium
![Yuva Bharati Krirangan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Yuva_Bharati_Krirangan.png)
The Salt Lake Stadium, also known as ''Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan'' (VYBK), is a multi-purpose
stadium in Kolkata, built in 1984. The stadium is the largest non-auto racing in India. It is currently used mainly for
football matches. The stadium includes a unique running track, long jump track, electronic scoreboard, natural turf, floodlighting arrangement, air-conditioned VIP restroom and Conference Hall, Medical Room, and a Doping Control Room. The Salt Lake Stadium hosts the home games of East Bengal in the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
and the
AFC Cup. The total capacity of the stadium is 85,000.
East Bengal Ground
![EB-Ground](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/EB-Ground.png)
The East Bengal Ground is located in Kolkata and is the club's home. The stadium lies in the
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan (; bn, ময়দান), also referred to as the Brigade Parade Ground, is a large public park and urban green space in the center of Kolkata, India. With a total area of , it is the largest urban park in the world. It is a va ...
area on the northern side of
Fort William and near the Eden Gardens. This stadium is used mostly for Calcutta Football League matches and by the academy, women's, and hockey teams. The total capacity of the stadium is 23,500.
[
]
Other grounds
Barasat Stadium is also used by the club for some regional matches, especially in cases where the Salt Lake Stadium or East Bengal Ground cannot be used. Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium based in Siliguri
Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as the ' ...
, has also been used several times to host club football matches. It also hosted the 2012 Federation Cup. Kalyani Stadium
Kalyani Stadium is a stadium in Kalyani, West Bengal, India. The stadium holds 20,000 spectators. Currently the stadium has been re-modelled with full-fledged modern structure and 5 storied gallery with added facilities. It now hosts matches of ...
, situated on the outskirts of Kolkata at Kalyani, was used by East Bengal as their home turf during the 2019–20 I-League.
The team trains and practices at one of the VYBK practice grounds.
Players
Current squad
Promoted from Reserves squad
Personnel
Current technical staff
Corporate Team
As of September 2022
Management
East Bengal Club
Board of Directors for Emami East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd.
Records
Record in Indian Super League
Record in NFL / I-League
Performance in AFC competitions
Honours
Major trophies of East Bengal include the following:
*
* Shared record
Awards
*Banga Bibhushan
Banga Bibhushan Samman ( bn, বঙ্গবিভূষণ) is a title instituted by the West Bengal government to honour the services of personalities in various fields. The Banga Ratna Samman and the Banga Bhushan Samman ("Bengal ornament" ব ...
: 2022
Other departments
Reserves team and Academy
East Bengal Club Reserves is the reserve team of East Bengal Club. It is the most senior level beneath the first team. The team generally consists of under-21 players but at times senior players also play, if recuperating from injury or not getting first team game time. Reserve side currently plays 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 ...
.
East Bengal Academy are the under-18, under-15 and under-13 team of 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 club East Bengal FC
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 fli ...
. The under-18 team of the club is generally referred to as the primary youth team as it is the last stage of progression for promotion of youth players into the first team. The youth teams participate in the Youth League of various age groups.
Women's football
The women's football team was formed in 2001 but was disbanded in 2003. It won the Calcutta Women's Football League title in its inaugural season and was runners-up in 2002. In the centenary year, the women's team was relaunched. In the first year of relaunch, the East Bengal women's team became runner's up of the 2020 Kanyashree Cup.
Cricket
The East Bengal Club Cricket team participates in various tournaments for varying age groups conducted by the Cricket Association of Bengal
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is the governing body for cricket in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its headquarters are located in the Eden Gardens stadium, Kolkata. It is a full member of Board of Control for Cricket in India.
It gover ...
. Currently, it participates in the CAB First Division League, CAB Senior Knockout, CAB Super League, and JC Mukherjee Trophy. The team plays its home matches mostly at the Eden Gardens and Jadavpur University Campus Ground
Jadavpur University Campus Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Salt Lake City Campus of Jadavpur University, Jadavpur, Bengal. The ground is mainly used for organizing matches of football, cricket and other sports. The main ground at t ...
. They have won around 60 major state-level trophies so far. Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Pronunciation: əpiːl deːʋ born 6 January 1959) is an Indian former cricketer. He was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, and was named by '' Wisden'' as the Indian Cricketer of the Cen ...
, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
, Ajay Jadeja
Ajaysinhji Jadeja ( born 1 February 1971), known as Ajay Jadeja, is an Indian former professional cricketer, who was a regular member of the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000. He played 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals f ...
, Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu (born 20 October 1963) is an Indian National Congress politician, television personality and retired international cricketer. He is the former President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Formerly, he was the Minister of To ...
and Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...
have played on the team.
Hockey
This department started after the Independence of India. The club was affiliated with the Bengal Hockey Association and participated in the BHA First Division hockey league and the Beighton Cup
Beighton Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by Hockey Bengal (formerly the Bengal Hockey Association). Instituted in 1895, it is one of the oldest field hockey tournaments in the world and is held every year at Kolkata.
History Aristocr ...
. They won 13 trophies. The team was disbanded in 2000. The hockey department was restarted in 2021 with Calcutta Hockey League.
Athletics
East Bengal has an athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
team, which is affiliated with the West Bengal Athletic Association, and participates in various tournaments of West Bengal. The club also organizes Annual Athletic meets at the club ground.
E-Sports
East Bengal also took part in the inaugural season o
e-ISL
where the ISL teams competed to play the video game FIFA 22
''FIFA 22'' is a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts. It is the 29th installment in the '' FIFA series'', and was released worldwide on 1 October 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windo ...
. The club was represented by 2 youngsters, Ankit Gupta and Shayantan Mondal.
Affiliated clubs
The following club was formerly affiliated with East Bengal:
* Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
(2002–2003)
The following club is currently affiliated with East Bengal:
* Sheikh Russel KC
Sheikh Russel KC is a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. The club has won the Federation Cup in 2012, which was their first major title. They also won their maiden Banglade ...
(2022–present)
See also
* East Bengal Club in international football
* East Bengal Club league record by opponent
* List of East Bengal Club wins against Foreign teams
* List of foreign players for East Bengal Club
* List of East Bengal Club records and statistics
East Bengal is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, which competes in Indian Super League, the top tier of Indian football. The club was formed when the vice-president of Jorabagan, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, re ...
* Indian football clubs in Asian competitions
Indian football clubs have entered Asian football competitions (AFC Champions League and AFC Cup) since the 1900s. The Asian Champion Club Tournament started in 1967, but there was no Indian representative during that inaugural season. Indian te ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
* Chatterjee, Partha. ''The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Post-colonial Histories'' (Calcutta: Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1995).
*
*Goswami, Ramesh Chandra (1963). ''East Bengal Cluber Itihas'' . 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 ...
: Book Garden.
*Bandyopadhyay, Santipriya (1979). ''Cluber Naam East Bengal'' . 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 ...
: New Bengal Press.
*Chattopadhyay, Hariprasad (2017). ''Mohun Bagan–East Bengal'' . 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 ...
: Parul Prakashan.
*
*
*
*
External links
Official website
Club profile
in ISL website
{{Authority control
East Bengal Club
Association football clubs established in 1920
I-League clubs
1920 establishments in India
Sport in West Bengal
Football in Kolkata
Football clubs in Kolkata
Sports clubs in India
Multi-sport clubs in India