Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian 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 ...
club based in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. Founded in 1962, the club competed in 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 ...
, then top tier of
Indian football league system
The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition in India is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest l ...
, before closing down at the end of 2009–10 season. Affiliated with the MFA, the club participated in both 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 ...
, and MDFA Elite League.
Nicknamed "Jeepmen", the club was popularly referred as India's MU after the
English Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
powerhouse
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. It was one of the most popular football clubs in the country and was known for its consistent good performance in the last four decades of its existence. The club had won many major tournaments in
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 ...
, and also clinched an international tournament,
2003 POMIS Cup
The 2003 POMIS Cup was the 16th championship of an international soccer club tournament held in Maldives. The group stage started on 14 October 2003 and the final was played on 25 October 2003 at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives
M ...
in the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
.
History
Formation and journey
The club was founded in 1962 as the ''Mahindra & Mahindra Allied Sports Club'' under the patronage of
Mahindra Group
Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group has operations in over 100 countries, with a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket automotive components, construction equipment, defenc ...
. They secured admission into
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
's Harwood League in 1964 and won the first title in 1970. Players like renowned goalkeeper E.N. Sudhir appeared with the club at that time. The club later lifted its first knock-out tournament,
Bandodkar Gold Trophy
The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, was an annual Indian football tournament held in Goa and organized by Goa Football Association. The tournament was first started in 1970 and to showcase the Goans' capabilities to organise an All-India football tournam ...
in 1980. They later clinched
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 ...
title in 1998, and 2001–02.
In leagues of Mumbai
Since their inception, Mahindra became a member of
Western India Football Association
Western India Football Association (WIFA) is the state governing body for football in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the sports national governing body.
History
The Bombay Football Assoc ...
(WIFA) and later in 1983, became affiliated with Mumbai District Football Association (formerly ''BDFA''). They participated in later editions of Bombay Harwood League alongside Maharashtra Football League, and won the Harwood League four times in 1970, 1982, 1984 and 1985.
Mahindra later participated in W.I.F.A. Super Division from 1990 to 1999 and clinched WIFA title in 1995.
They later participated in
MDFA Elite Division
The Mumbai Football League, also known as the Harwood League, is organised by Mumbai Football Association (MFA) as a ladder-based competition involving a total of five divisions and over 300 teams. It is the top football league in Mumbai and t ...
and lifted trophies consecutively from 2000 to 2004 and 2006 to 2009.
NFL and other domestic competitions
From 2002 to 2003,
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
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 ...
. In the summer of 2006, it was renamed to ''Mahindra United''. The shirt colour was also changed from orange to red.
Team played its NFL home matches at the Cooperage Ground in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, but due to the bad state of the stadium, as of February 7, 2006, they had to play almost all of their NFL games at away venues.
Mahindra were crowned champions of NFL Premier Division for the first time in club's history in the 2005–06 season, with two games to spare. They followed it up by beating their arch-rivals,
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the sa ...
for the first time in the season. They are also two-time winners of the
Indian Federation Cup
The Federation Cup (also known as Hero Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an annual knockout football competition in Indian football which started in 1977. From its inception, until I-League was started in 1997 (then called NFL), ...
, having won the title in 2003 and 2005.India – List of Federation Cup Winners , RSSSF.com The win in 2005 ensured that Mahindra became the first club in the history of Indian football to win the Federation Cup and National Football League double in the same season.
They did however lose the NFL Super Cup to
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 ...
by a margin of 1–2.
Later years
In the 2006 edition of
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 ...
, Mahindra United emerged as champions, defeating
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 ...
by 1–0 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 ...
. They also participated in the 2006 Federation Cup and achieved third place, defeating
Dempo SC
Dempo Sports Club, or simply known as Dempo, is an Indian professional football club based in Panjim, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo Mining Corporation Limited. Popularly known ...
4–2 in the penalty-shootout. In the 2008 edition of IFA Shield, they defeated South African side
Santos FC
Santos Futebol Clube (), commonly known simply as Santos or Santos FC and nicknamed the ''Peixe'' (; "fish"), is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a '' bairro'' in the city of Santos. It is also the team with the most goals i ...
by 3–1 to win the title.
Head coach of the team was
Derrick Pereira
Derrick Pereira (born 17 March 1962) is an Indian association football manager and former player, who managed then I-League 2nd Division club FC Goa Reserves and the India national under-23 football team. He is also the technical director of In ...
. Players like Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Manjit Singh and
Surojit Bose
Surojit Bose (born 19 December 1986) is an Indian footballer from Kolkata who currently plays for Mumbai Tigers. He has previously played for Mahindra United in the I-League, and for Bengal in the Santosh Trophy. Before joining Mahindra Unite ...
have been associated with the team. The club also tried forming under-15 and under-19 teams in order to nurture the young talent in the country.
Nariman Point
Nariman Point is a prominent downtown area of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. Located on the southern tip of the Mumbai peninsula, at the end of the Mumbai's Marine Drive, Nariman Point houses some of India's prestigious business headquarters.
...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, for its home matches of both the National Football League and I-League, alongside MDFA Elite League. It had a capacity of nearly 12,000 spectators.
Disbanding the club
In 2010, it was announced that club will be disbanded after the end of the 2009–10 I-League. The decision was a major blow for football in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, and financial reason was one of the main factors behind it. Alan Durante, the chairman of Mahindra United, who's been with the team since 1991 and under whom Mahindra have won almost everything in Indian football, said it wasn't about costs.
Ruzbeh Irani, executive vice-president of the club, said: “It was in line with our group’s philosophy and shift, from taking part in professional sport to developing it. We feel we can make much difference to sport in India at the school level in football, instead of running a professional team”.
Achievements
Overall
Mahindra United had won almost all the major competitions in India. It was the only team from Mumbai to win
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 second oldest football competition in the world, twice. It was also the first team from
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
to win the Harwood League and Nadkarni Cup three times in a row. The club has also been two times winner of
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 ...
and
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 ...
. There are several other championships like Mammen Mappillai Cup,
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 ...
, Chief Minister's Cup and Super Cup where Mahindra United has registered victories.
On international level, Mahindra United achieved success through lifting the
2003 POMIS Cup
The 2003 POMIS Cup was the 16th championship of an international soccer club tournament held in Maldives. The group stage started on 14 October 2003 and the final was played on 25 October 2003 at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives
M ...
trophy in the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, beating
Club Valencia
Club Valencia is a Maldivian football club based in Malé, Maldives. Nicknamed ''The Sunrisers'', the club competes in the Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Maldivian football.
History
The notion of establishing a football club named C ...
3–1. They also became the first Indian club to reach the quarter-finals of the 2007 AFC Cup, but their journey ended with an aggregate 4–5 defeat to Lebanese side Al-Najmeh SC.
Ranking
Mahindra United emerged as top ranked Indian team, and 464 universally, in the international rankings of clubs during the first ten years of the 21st century (2001–2010), issued 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 2011.
Honours
Invitational
*
POMIS Cup
The POMIS Cup (known fully as President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup) is an international club football tournament kicked off in 1987 to promote the standards of local football in Maldives. This is the only international soccer club tourna ...
The POMIS Cup (''President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup''), an international club football tournament incorporated in 1987, is the only international club tournament held in
the Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, organized by the
Football Association of Maldives
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM), founded in 1982, is the governing body of football in the Maldives. The association under the guidance of the Ministry of Youth & Sports is responsible for all regulatory aspects of the sport in the Ma ...
(FAM).
**Champions (1):
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
Continental
*
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
**Quarter-final (1):
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Domestic
*
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 ...
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 ...
Federation Cup (India)
The Federation Cup (also known as Hero Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an annual knockout football competition in Indian football which started in 1977. From its inception, until I-League was started in 1997 (then called NFL), ...
Indian Super Cup
AIFF Super Cup, also called the Super Cup or Hero Super Cup (for sponsorship ties), is an annual knockout football competition in Indian football. It is organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Competition is open to the clubs ...
**Champions (1): 2003
**Runners-up (1): 2006
*
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 ...
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 ...
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 fourt ...
and other invited ones.
**Champions (2): 2006, 2008
*
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 ...
MDFA Elite Division
The Mumbai Football League, also known as the Harwood League, is organised by Mumbai Football Association (MFA) as a ladder-based competition involving a total of five divisions and over 300 teams. It is the top football league in Mumbai and t ...
Nadkarni Cup
The Nadkarni Cup is a football competition in Mumbai, India, which was first held in 1908. From 1908–1913, it was known as Junior Rovers Cup which was contested by school and college teams of Bombay (now Mumbai), with the trophy originally p ...
Bandodkar Gold Trophy
The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, was an annual Indian football tournament held in Goa and organized by Goa Football Association. The tournament was first started in 1970 and to showcase the Goans' capabilities to organise an All-India football tournam ...
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
: 3 appearances
::
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
: Group stage
::
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
: Group stage
::
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
: Quarter-finals
Continental record
Notable former players
''For all former or notable Mahindra United players with a Wikipedia article, see:
Mahindra United FC players
Mahindra may refer to:
Business
* Mahindra & Mahindra, an Indian multinational car manufacturing corporation
**Mahindra Truck and Bus Division, an Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer owned by Mahindra & Mahindra
* Mahindra Group
* Kotak Mahin ...
''.
Foreign players
*
Mohammed Monwar Hossain
Mohammed Monwar Hossain ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মনোয়ার হোসেন; born 30 August 1979) is a Bangladeshi football coach and former player. He represented the Bangladesh national team from 1998 to 2006.
Club career
...
(1998–1999)
*
Bassam Al-Khatib
Bassam Al-Khatib (born October 5, 1975) is a retired Jordanian professional footballer who played most of his career for Jordanian club Al-Ahli Amman alongside Jordan national football team. He is currently assistant coach for Jordanian footbal ...
(1999–2000)
*
Felix Aboagye
Felix Ahmed Aboagye (born 5 December 1975) is a retired Ghanaian professional footballer who played primarily as a striker. He last professional club football for Mumbai FC in the I-League.
International career
He represented his homeland by ...
(2003–2004)
*
Raphaël Patron Akakpo
Raphaël Patron Akakpo (born 1 December 1973) is a Togolese retired professional footballer. He has spent time in Ghana, Egypt, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam throughout his career and is assistant to Steven Polack of Asante Ko ...
Yusif Yakubu
Yusif Yakubu (born 4 September 1976) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He scored a total of 148 I-League goals from 2000 to 2014,
*
Andrews Pomeyie Mensah
Andrew Mensah Pomeyie (born 11 June 1983) is a striker from Ghana. He was previously a regular for one of Ghana's top teams Great Olympics and has last played for Mahindra United.
Clubs
* 2001-2003 Sekondi Hasaacas
* 2004-2005 Great Olympics
* ...
(2006–2008)
*
Filipe Azevedo
Filipe Vaz de Azevedo (born 21 January 1975) is a French retired footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American ...
Lamine Tamba
Lamine Tamba (born 20 December 1985) is a Senegalese association football, footballer who plays as a defender (association football), defender. He spent most of his club career in India with teams competing in the I-League.
Tamba played for Ch ...
(2007–2010)
*
Bello Razaq
Rasaq Oladimeji Bello (born 19 August 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer, who plays for Aryan as a centre back in the Calcutta Football League.
Career
He first established himself in Indian football while playing for United SC. He co ...
(2008)
Final staff
Youth teams
Mahindra United under–19
In an attempt to nurture young talent and promote football in Mumbai, Mahindra United fielded an under-19 team from 2003. The team performed extremely well in the
National Football League (Under-19)
The National Football League (Under-19) (NFL Under-19) was an annual played a youth league competition featuring football clubs from India. Founded in 2001 through the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the NFL was the first youth football ...
and reached the semi-finals, beating teams like
Churchill Brothers
Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually part ...
Spurred by the success of its U-19 team, Mahindra United fielded both U-15 and U-17 teams from 2006. The U-15 team played ''Manchester United Premier Cup Asian Qualifiers'' held at Kolkata, where top NFL clubs also participated.
Youth setup has also participated in the
Manchester United Premier Cup
The Manchester United Premier Cup is a global youth football tournament that was established by Nike in 1993.
History
The tournament was established by Nike in 1993 as the Nike Premier Cup and featured 624 teams from 15 European countries. T ...
Shabbir Ali
Shabbir Ali (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian football manager and former player. He was awarded the Dhyan Chand Award, the highest award in Indian sports for lifetime achievement, given by Government of India in 2011. He is the first footba ...
Dave Booth
David Booth (born 2 October 1948) is an English association football, football manager and former player.
Early years
Booth was brought up in Darton near Barnsley and attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield where he played rugby and ...
Derrick Pereira
Derrick Pereira (born 17 March 1962) is an Indian association football manager and former player, who managed then I-League 2nd Division club FC Goa Reserves and the India national under-23 football team. He is also the technical director of In ...
(2005–2009)
Other department
Field hockey
The club had its
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 ci ...
team that participated in both 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 ...
and
Bombay Gold Cup
Bombay Gold Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). It was instituted in 1955 by Naval Tata, the then President of the Bombay Hockey Association. The Cup was donated by the then Chief Minister of Mahara ...
.
Honours
*
Bombay Gold Cup
Bombay Gold Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). It was instituted in 1955 by Naval Tata, the then President of the Bombay Hockey Association. The Cup was donated by the then Chief Minister of Mahara ...
Sports in Maharashtra
Sports is an integral part of culture in Maharashtra. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport in this state.
Kabaddi, field hockey, Kho Kho, badminton, and table tennis are also played in urban areas in schools- colleges, except Kho-kho an ...