Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
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 fourt ...
. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest 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
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 area ...
. The club is most notable for its victory over
East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
in the 1911
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 ...
final. This victory made Mohun Bagan the first all-Indian side to win a championship over a British side and was a major moment during India's push for
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
. Although Mohun Bagan is a
multi-sport club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
, the primary sport since its foundation had been
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 ...
.
They have won the top-flight football league a record five times – 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 ...
three times, 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 ...
twice.
They were the most successful team of India in the history of the
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 ...
, having won the championship a record 14 times. The club had also won several other trophies, including 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 ...
(16 times),
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 ...
(22 times),
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 ...
(14 times), and 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 ...
(30 times).
The club won various minor and major trophies throughout its history.
The club contested 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 ...
with long-time local rivals
East Bengal Club
East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional Sports club, multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's association football, football team that competes in t ...
with the first derby match played on 8 August 1921. The club also shared a rivalry with another local club,
Mohammedan SC. On 2014 Niranjan Kakati was felicitated by the club for highest cleansheet record.
Mohun Bagan was inducted into the
Club of Pioneers
The Club of Pioneers is a worldwide network of the oldest continuing association football clubs from each country.
The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the first and oldest association football
Association football, mor ...
, a network of the oldest existing football clubs around the world, on 29 July 2019 as the club celebrated its 130th year in existence.
Mohun Bagan was inducted into the
Club of Pioneers
The Club of Pioneers is a worldwide network of the oldest continuing association football clubs from each country.
The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the first and oldest association football
Association football, mor ...
, a network of the oldest existing football clubs around the world, on 29 July 2019 as the club celebrated its 130th year in existence.
Since 2020,
ATK Mohun Bagan FC
ATK Mohun Bagan FC () is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competes in Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club, which was formed as a merger between the football section of m ...
succeeded the football operations of Mohun Bagan after Kolkata Games and Sports Private Limited, the company that owned
ATK FC
ATK (formerly Atlético de Kolkata) was an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competed in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football and were the league champions during the inaugural ...
, took an 80% stake in Mohun Bagan. ATK FC as a football club dissolved on 1 June 2020 and ATK Mohun Bagan FC continues playing with the existing registration of Mohun Bagan with
AIFF
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File ...
and
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 ...
.
History
Formation and early years (1880s)
![Bhupendranath_Bose](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Bhupendranath_Bose.jpg)
The foundation of Mohun Bagan AC stretches back into the 1880s when the neighborhood youth of presently known Fariapukur Lane in
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali ari ...
had set out in search for an ideal place to establish a football club, and came across a marble palace, ''Mohun Bagan Villa'', owned by the family of a leading
jute trade
The jute trade is centered mainly around India, India's West Bengal and Assam, and Bangladesh. The major producing country of jute is India and biggest exporter being Bangladesh, due to their natural fertile soil. Production of jute by India and ...
r, Kirti Chandra Mitra.
On 15 August 1889, after a meeting of three famous aristocratic
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
families of
North Kolkata
North Kolkata encompasses the northern part of Kolkata, including the city's oldest neighbourhood.
Shyambazar, Bagbazar, Kumartuli, Shobhabazar, Posta, Jorasanko, Rajabazar, Phoolbagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Ultadanga, Chitpur, Belgachia, ...
– the Mitra family, the Basu family, and the Sen family, and other distinguished personalities, presided over by
Bhupendra Nath Basu himself, ''Mohun Bagan Sporting Club'' was formed.
Bhupendra Nath Basu became the first president of the newly founded club and Jyotindra Nath Basu was the first secretary of it.
During the initial years, the meager ground inside the palace was used by the club for hosting matches, including their first match that was played against the team of
Eden Hindu Hostel
Eden Hindu Hostel ( bn, ইডেন হিন্দু হোস্টেল), established in 1886, was primarily built for Hindu students of Presidency University, Kolkata, India. The hostel is now open for students of all religions. It is now m ...
students, and lost 1–0.
The initial players to play for the club were Girin Basu, Pramatha Nath Chattopadhyay, Sachin Bandhyopadhyay, Ram Goswami, Sarat Mitra, Hem Nath Sen, Nalin Basu, Upen Ghosh, Manindra Nath Basu, Manomoham Pandey, Probhas Mitra, and the captain Manilal Sen.
Priyanath Mitra, the successor of Kirti Mitra, had the club's iconic Green-Maroon jerseys stitched by a renowned European tailoring shop, Messrs Rankin at Old Couse House Street.
The club management hugely emphasized providing memberships to the youth and maintained a strict code of conduct with an avowed objective of producing excellent sportsmen and imbuing them with impeccable moral and social values.
At the first-anniversary assembly, the
Presidency College students and members of the club invited their professor,
F. J. Rowe
Frederick James Rowe (c. 1844 – 5 January 1909) was a Professor of English Literature and sometime Principal at the Presidency College in Calcutta, India. He edited and wrote introductions for numerous collections of the works of Alfred Lord Ten ...
, to attend. Rowe pointed out the inappropriate naming of the club and suggested replacing ''"Sporting"'' with ''"Athletic"'' since the club didn't indulge in sporting activities, like
angling
Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...
or
rifle shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms suc ...
.
Thus, the members agreed and renamed the club as ''Mohun Bagan Athletic Club''.
The second-anniversary assembly was presided by Sir Thomas Holland, who later became a member of the Executive Council of
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
. In 1891, with the help of the
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
Durga Charan Laha of
Shyampukur
Shyampukur 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
Shyampukur, like its n ...
, the club ground was relocated within his residential estate, now known as Laha Colony.
The club ground was later relocated to Shyam Square in
Bagbazar
Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Shyambazar, the citadel o ...
, with the help of the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (abbreviated KMC; also Calcutta Municipal Corporation) is the local government of the Indian city of Kolkata, the state capital of West Bengal. This civic administrative body administers an area of . Its motto, '' ...
chairman, Henry Lee.
The first tournament that the club participated in was the 1893 Coochbehar Cup, where the team suffered to perform against the
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
teams and the clubs like
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
, National, Town Club, Kumurtuli, Fort William's Arsenal and the famed Sovabazar, which was founded by the ''Father of Indian football''
Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari
Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikary (Bengali: নগেন্দ্র প্রসাদ সর্বাধিকারী) was an Indian football personality, known as the "Father of Indian Football" for his role in founding the first Indian footbal ...
himself.
In 1900, Mohun Bagan became the partner of Presidency College and shared their ground at
Maidan
Maidan is an originally Persian word for a town square or public gathering place, adopted by various other languages: Urdu (''maidān''); Arabic (''maydān''); Turkish ; Bangla ময়দান, meaning field, and Crimean Tatar, from which ...
, where they would continue to play for 15 years.
Administrative and tactical overhaul under Subedar-major Sailen Basu (1900s)
The early exits from major tournaments suffered in the 1900s evoked ridicule from its local rivals, including Sovabazar.
Soon after the appointment of
Subedar-major
Subedar Major is the senior-most rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian and Pakistani Armies, formerly known as the Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army.
History
During the British Raj, Subedar-Major was the hi ...
Sailen Basu as the secretary, the club adopted European playing methods and players underwent rigorous physical training and followed austere fitness regime similar to what Subedar-major Basu had experienced during his service in the army.
The club also began recruiting players from other clubs, especially from National, where footballers played in boots rather than barefoot.
Rev. Sudhir Chatterjee was one of the notable recruitment from National, who was also the only player in the club to play in boots at that time.
As a result of such incredible changes made, the club achieved its first success by winning the 1904 Coochbehar Cup.
The following year Mohun Bagan won the Coochbehar Cup once again and reached the Gladstone Cup final, held in
Chinsurah
Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the district of Hooghly and is home t ...
, where they defeated the reigning
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 ...
champions
Dalhousie 6–1,
with
Shibdas Bhaduri scoring four goals. Maharaja Rajendra Bhup Bahadur of
Coochbehar
Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...
, impressed by the team, would become a chief patron of the club.
In 1906, Mohun Bagan also won the Minto Fort tournament by defeating one of the major
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
clubs in India,
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
.
But they missed the chance of participating for the 1906 IFA Shield because P.K. Biswas, who had played for National but also played for Mohun Bagan in the same year, which was considered illegal by 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 ...
, the then ''de facto'' governing body of Indian football. Therefore Mohun Bagan was disqualified.
Apart from team building, Subedar-major Basu had a remarkable contribution in arranging a new club tent and ground after the demolition of Mohun Bagan Villa in 1891. The club did not have a permanent club tent and had an increasing number of club members through a minimal membership fee of 8
annas
Annas (also Ananus or Ananias;Goodman, Martin, "Rome & Jerusalem", Penguin Books, p.12 (2007) , ; grc-x-koine, Ἅννας, ; 23/22 BC – death date unknown, probably around AD 40) was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High ...
, half for students.
During this period, a major meeting was held among the club officials, including Jyotindra Nath Basu, Subedar-major Sailen Basu, Dwijendra Nath Basu,
Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra and Dr. Girish Ghosh.
The meeting was regarding the construction of a club tent at Maidan, which was financially not feasible. A few days later, a club tent within Mohun Bagan's premises in Maidan was constructed and is still in use.
To date, there is no evidence of this in the financial records of the club, and the donors remain unknown.
Mohun Bagan also won the Trades Cup four consecutive times between 1906 and 1909, which was the second most prestigious tournament in India after IFA Shield. Mohun Bagan won Coochbehar Cup in 1907 and 1908, and then both the Laxmibilas Cup and the Gladstone Cup in 1909 and 1910.
The historic year of 1911
![Mohun Bagan 1911 IFA shield winning team](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Mohun_Bagan_1911_IFA_shield_winning_team.jpg)
In 1909 and 1910, among only a few other native clubs, the team had the honor to play in the IFA Shield for its consistent performances over the recent years. However, they would struggle to match the
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
teams of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and British Indian armies in the first two years.
In 1911, Mohun Bagan formed a dominant side for the IFA Shield, which included Hiralal Mukherjee, Bhuti Sukul, Rev. Sudhir Chatterjee, Monmohun Mukherjee, Rajen Sengupta, Nil Madhav Bhattacharya, Kanu Roy, Habul Sarkar, Abhilash Ghosh, Bijoydas Bhaduri and captained by
Shibdas Bhaduri.
They battled out against the professionally equipped teams of
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta Rangers Club,
Rifle Brigade and
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...
to reach the IFA Shield final without conceding a goal. The enthusiasm for the final on 29 July 1911 (which is now known as "Mohun Bagan Day") was such that people came from other
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
s of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
as well as from neighboring provinces of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
and
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
.
The
East Indian Railway Company
The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Barod ...
ran a special train and additional steamer services were pressed into service to ferry spectators to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
from the ''mofussil'' areas.
Tickets for the match, originally priced at and , were sold at due to its immense demand in the country.
After trailing by a goal from
Sgt.
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
Jackson of
East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
team within the first 15 minutes of the 50 minutes of the match, Shibdas Bhaduri soon scored an equalizer in the first half and then set up Abhilash Ghosh to score the winner with just two minutes remaining of the match.
The club became the first native team to lift the IFA Shield, that too in front of an estimated crowd of 80,000, although the referee, H.G. Pooler, estimated approximately 20,000 to be the number.
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
in its
cablegram to English newspapers mentioned: ''"For the first time in the history of Indian football an Indian team, the Mohun Bagan, consisting purely of Bengalees, has won the Indian Football Association Shield beating crack teams of English regiments. About 80,000 spectators were present on the ground, but most of them could not see the match. By noticing the flying of kites, they were following the actions of the match. And when they came to know about the win of their team, they started tearing off their shirts, waving them, tearing their hairs."''
The mood can be gauged by what Achintya Kumar Sengupta wrote in Kallol Jug: ''"Mohun Bagan is not a football team. It is a tortured country, rolling in the dust, which has just started to raise its head."'' Mohun Bagan supporters and the public at large went berserk, even supporters of
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
representative clubs like Moslem and
Mohammedan went to the streets to celebrate and the Muslims from
Dharmatala
Dharmatala (archaic spelling Dhurrumtollah) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Dharmatala Street has been renamed after Vladimir Lenin, Lenin as Lenin Sa ...
joined the victory procession of
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
near the
Thanthania Kalibari
Kalibari is a Kali temple on Bidhan Sarani
in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The deity in the temple is known as Siddheshwari. On the occasion of Kali Puja, devotees gather at the temple for worship.
History
The Thanthania Kalibari was founde ...
.
On 31 July 1911, The Englishman wrote, ''"What the Congress failed to achieve, Mohun Bagan has. In other words, they have succeeded in degrading the English."'' The performance was appreciated by
Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
saying, ''"The team the Bengalis won the IFA Shield by defeating three top military teams. 80,000 Indians will remain witnesses to this event. There is nothing to be surprised at. The team that is physically more fit, has sharp surveillance and intelligence, wins."''.
On 30 July 1911, India Mirror reported, ''"The Japanese victory over the Russians did not stir the East half as much as did the match between Mohun Bagan and East York."'' After the match ended, a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
, pointing to the
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
fluttering atop
Fort William, asked Rev. Chatterjee, ''"When will that come down?"'' and according to popular legend, it was predicted that the flag would come down only when Mohun Bagan regained the shield, which would later come true.
Nation-wide exposure of the club (1912–30)
After a comparatively disappointing year in 1912, Shibdas Bhaduri handed the captaincy to Habul Sarkar the following year, but they failed to win any trophy that year.
The same year
Gostha Pal joined the club as a
defender at the young age of 16 and continued to play for 22 years, also leading the team from 1921 to 1926, soon became known as the ''"Chinese Wall".'' In 1914, Mohun Bagan for the first time played in
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
2nd Division and finished third with only the top non-military team be promoted to CFL 1st Division but after a team from the 1st Division withdrew, Mohun Bagan got promoted.
Mohun Bagan played their first match on 15 May 1915 against Calcutta, which was drawn. Meanwhile, Subedar-major Sailen Basu had to leave for his commitments in the military service for the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Dwijendra Nath Basu, nephew of Bhupendra Nath Basu and brother of Subedar-major Basu, replaced him as the club's secretary. Mohun Bagan finished fourth in their league debut, while a junior team of the club made the semi-finals of the Trades Cup and Coochbehar Cup.
The next year, Mohun Bagan reached the second position in the league and the following year, narrowly lost the IFA Shield final to
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...
.
On 8 August 1921, the club played its first match against
East Bengal Club
East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional Sports club, multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's association football, football team that competes in t ...
in the Coochbehar Cup semi-final, which ended in a goalless draw, but Mohun Bagn went on to beat them in the replay by 1–0 and gave rise to 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 ...
. In 1922, Mohun Bagan played exhibition matches of
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 striki ...
and football against a team of
Indians from South Africa. The following year, Mohun Bagan was invited to
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 ...
in
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- ...
, where they lost to
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...
by 4–1. After 35 years of long association of Bhupendra Nath Basu with Mohun Bagan came to an end with his demise in 1924. After his death, Sir Rajendranath Mukherjee became the club's new president.
The next year, Mohun Bagan became the first civilian Indian team to be invited to the oldest football tournament in Asia,
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 ...
, where they lost to
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to f ...
in the semi-finals. That year Mohun Bagan also failed to win the league and finished second. During this period, the club attended as well as hosted numerous charity matches all over the country for fundraising as the earnings from memberships weren't enough to run the club over a long period.
On 28 May 1925, the club played its first official Derby against East Bengal and lost by 1–0. That year club played a charity match against
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...
in 1927 to raise relief funds for the floods in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
. In 1929, due to a clash during the match of Mohun Bagan and Dalhousie, all the native teams withdrew their names from the IFA registration.
Later, it was negotiated on the condition that there would be equal number of European and Indian clubs in the association.
Significant contributions to the national team (1931–47)
![Karuna Shakar Bhattacharjee 1930s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Karuna_Shakar_Bhattacharjee_1930s.jpg)
Renowned
Barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
Shailendra Nath Banerjee became the secretary of the club with the turn of the decade.
In 1931 the club acquired the services of highly skilled players like,
Karuna 'Habla' Bhattacharya and
Syed Abdus Samad.
In 1933, Gostho Pal got selected as the captain of IFA XI representing
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 ...
for an
away match against
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, but the following year, due to injury, his defence partner Dr. Sanmatha Dutta led the tour to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
for a series of matches. 1935 saw a great change in Mohun Bagan’s tradition of playing with bare-feet when on the behest of Abdul Hamid, a renowned player who joined from
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
, the club decided to use boots for the first time.
In 1937, Mohun Bagan for the first time faced off against a foreign team – an English amateur club
Islington Corinthians
The Islington Corinthians Football Club is a defunct English association football club.
History
Islington Corinthians was founded in 1932 by Tom Smith, to raise money for local charities. The club was part of the London Professional Mid Week ...
, who were on a world tour; but narrowly lost by 1–0. In 1938 the tradition of Mohun Bagan players leading IFA teams continued with Karuna Bhattacharya captaining a side to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, where he also scored against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
as well as
Football Queensland
Football Queensland is recognised by both the State and Federal Governments and Football Australia as the governing body for association football and futsal in Queensland, Australia.
Tracing its history back to the establishment of the Ang ...
team during the tour.
Mohun Bagan also broke a 29-year-old barren run in Trades Cup, in 1938.
In second half 1930s both
Umapati Kumar
Umapati Kumar was a former footballer who played mostly as an inside forward. As a footballer, he represented India in international football, and Mohun Bagan AC in the Calcutta Football League.
Personal life
Umapati Kumar was born on 8 Februar ...
and Gostha Pal had retired, but the squad got competent reinforcements – Anil Dey in half back position and Satyen 'Mana' Guin in attack, who a right winger was nicknamed ''"Racing Deer"'' for his speed along the flanks.
Captained by Bimal Mukherjee, son of Manmohan Mukherjee, and a host of quality players, Mohun Bagan broke their long wait for a major trophy in 1939 when they won their first ever Calcutta Football League title.
Significantly, Mohun Bagan also celebrated its
golden jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
the same year, which was marked with celebrations across the city, match organized featuring renowned former players and medals and jerseys were distributed to the players. From 1933 to 1939 the club won 29 trophies, also out of 23 Derbies, they beat East Bengal 12 times, including 1
walkover win, drew 10 matches and lost only once to their arch-rival.
In 1941, the secretaryship was given to another famed barrister, B.C. Ghosh replaced Sailen Banerjee, who was elected as the club's vice-president. In 1942, for the first time, an
insurance policy
In insurance, the insurance policy is a contract (generally a standard form contract) between the insurer and the policyholder, which determines the claims which the insurer is legally required to pay. In exchange for an initial payment, known as ...
was implemented for the medical aid of the injured players during matches, and a medical board composed of reputed doctors was formed to oversee the medical issues.
A
trusty board was also formed on the initiative of a
Solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
B.K.Ghosh and Barrister S.K.Gupta for the monetary support of the club.
In 1943 and 1944, Mohun Bagan won CFL in succession. In 1944, B.C. Ghosh became the club's vice-president, and Dr. S.K. Gupta took charge of the general secretary's office. Meanwhile, a junior football team was formed under the guidance of a former Mohun Bagan player,
Balaidas Chattopadhyay, and also made efforts to introduce sports like
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
among the youth.
In 1945, former vice-president and first captain of Mohun Bagan Manilal Sen expired. The same year,
George Curtis, who was an
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
player stationed in India as a part of
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
in the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, took charge of the team as a coach for a brief stint.
In 1947, Mohun Bagan got invitation to Madurai Cup but was beaten by Hyderabad Police in the final. This year the team once again participated in Rover’s Cup. Still, the tournament was called off due to the collapse of the
Cooperage Ground during the quarter-final match against
1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment.
This year Mohun Bagan won its second IFA Shield on 15 November by defeating its arch-rival East Bengal, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the club winning its second Shield only in the year of
India's independence
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
, and becoming the first club to win the Shield in post-independent India.
Struggle with consistency (1948–1950s)
![Talimeren Ao 2018 stamp of India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Talimeren_Ao_2018_stamp_of_India.jpg)
In the first year after the independence, the club handed the captaincy for two years to
Talimeren Ao
Talimeren Ao (28 January 1918 – 13 September 1998) was an Indian footballer and physician from Nagaland. He is best known as the captain of the India national football team in their first ever match after independence. One of the most famous ...
, who had been a part of the club since 1943 after leaving Maharana Club in
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
.
Ao went on to lead the national team in
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and along with him
Mahabir Prasad
Mahaveer Prasad ( hi, महावीर प्रसाद) (11 November 1939 – 28 November 2010) was an Indian politician. He stood for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections on the Indian National Congress ticket and until his death was a Member of ...
and
Sailen Manna
Sailendra Nath Manna ( bn, শৈলেন মান্না; 1 September 1924 – 27 February 2012), known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956. Predominantly p ...
. The club's secretary, Balai Das Chattopadhyay too had to leave for London as the team's head coach and trainer, therefore Gostho Pal took charge of his duties in club temporarily. Anil Dey was selected for the team as well but stayed behind. Dhanadaranjan' Bokai' Sen carried out the captain's duties in the absence of Ao. In the same year, the
Kingdom of Afghanistan
The Kingdom of Afghanistan ( ps, , Dǝ Afġānistān wākmanān; prs, پادشاهی افغانستان, Pādešāhī-ye Afġānistān) was a constitutional monarchy in Central Asia established in 1926 as a successor state to the Emirate of Af ...
invited Mohun Bagan on the occasion of their
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
celebrations. Still, the club couldn't attend because of its preplanned agenda.
That year, Mohun Bagan successfully defended the IFA Shield against
Bhawanipore
Bhowanipore (also Bhowanipur; bn, ভবানীপুর) is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in Kolkata district of West Bengal, India.
History
In 1717, the East India Company obtained the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their s ...
in the final. After the Olympics, Ao played for the club until 1953 and retired to pursue a career in medicine after completing
MBBS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
.
His excellence on-field caught the eyes of many foreign clubs, including Arsenal, who offered a one-year contract to Ao, but he famously refused to carry on with his studies.
The year 1949 was the club's
diamond jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
. On this occasion, a vivid procession was organized on 11 December, from the club's birthplace, Balaram Ghosh Street.
On the occasion
West Bengal’s Chief Minister Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy commented, ''"I am proud and delighted that, fortunately, I have witnessed the IFA Shield tournament of 1911. During the freedom struggle, Mohun Bagan’s existence inspired the youth. In the sports world of Bengal, Mohun Bagan has still maintained its excellence. Even after 60 years, Mohun Bagan has kept its youth unaffected. I pray that on our beloved Motherland, Mohun Bagan’s sporting spirit may survive forever,"'' and attended the ceremonies and exhibitions hosted by the club.
Mohun Bagan also invited
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
club
Helsingborgs to play three friendlies, along with many other exhibition matches of
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 striki ...
,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
and football.
Runu Guha Thakurta
Runu Guha Thakurta was a former Indian association football player. He was part of the squad that played at the 1952 Summer Olympics against Yugoslavia, but he did not play in the match. He played for both the Calcutta Football League side Geo ...
, a renowned forward, was acquired by the club that year. In 1950, India had received a direct qualification to the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
, with Manna being the captain of the team, but
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation.
It is affiliated to Ministry o ...
refused to play, failing to realize its importance. Despite acquiring the services of some of the famed players, the club failed to dominate in major tournaments, where they were regularly outshined by the
Pancha Pandavas led East Bengal and
Syed Abdul Rahim
Syed Abdul Rahim (17 August 1909 – 11 June 1963), popularly known as Rahim Saab, was an Indian football coach and manager of the Indian national team from 1950 until his death in 1963, and a former player. He is regarded as the architect of ...
's
Hyderabad City Police
Hyderabad City Police is the local law enforcement agency for the city of Hyderabad, Telangana and is headed by the Commissioner of Police. The city police traces its origins to 1847 under Hyderabad State.
History
1847–1948
The Nizam of Hyde ...
team.
![Chuni](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Chuni.jpg)
S Manna, T Aao, Abhay Ghosh, and R Guhathakurta got their call for the national team to play the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, and Manna led the team to the
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
.
In
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...
three Mohun Bagan players including Manna as the captain and
Mohammad Abdus Sattar
Mohammad Abdus Sattar (1925 – 23 April 2011) was an Indian footballer. He was also known as Madar Abdus Sattar.
Career
Club career
Abdus Sattar started his career with the Bangalore Muslim Club, before joining the Mohammedan Sporting Club ...
, who joined the club from Mohammedan in 1950. Mohun Bagan won the CFL in 1951 after a wait of seven years, the IFA Shield in 1952, and its first Durand Cup in 1953 by 4–0 against
National Defence Academy
The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...
team.
During the prize distribution of Durand Cup, the
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
Dr. Rajendra Prasad said, ''"Mohun Bagan was my favorite team from my childhood. I was a regular visitor of all Mohun Bagan matches when I was a student at Kolkata. Sometimes, when I didn’t have money to buy the ticket, I could not stop myself. I watched the match from the outside. I was always aware of the up-to-date news of the club."'' That year
Samar 'Badru' Banerjee joined the team and formed an important attacking duo with Md. Sattar.
During Manna's spell as the captain, he was named among the top 10 captains around the world by
The Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
in 1953, becoming the first Asian to have the honor. In 1954 Mohun Bagan became the first club ever to clinch the
double crown Double crown can refer to:
* the Pschent combined crown of Ancient Egypt;
* a British coin worth ten shillings or two crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A ...
of
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 ...
— CFL and IFA Shield, courtesy to Badru's solitary goal against the formidable side of Hyderabad City Police.
That year Mohun Bagan beat the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
club
Grazer Grazer may refer to:
*grazer, an animal that grazes
*Grazer, a native or inhabitant of Graz
*GRAZER, the shoegaze band GRAZER
Astronomy
* Earth Grazer, Earth-grazing fireball that enters the Earth's atmosphere and leaves again
* Mercury grazer, ...
by 2–1 and beat the visiting
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
by 3–0. That year
Subimal 'Chuni' Goswami joined the senior team from the club's youth ranks.
Mohun Bagan defended the CFL title successfully till 1956 and won the IFA Shield and its first Rover's Cup in 1956.
In December 1954, Mohun Bagan lost a match against
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
, featuring
Kurt Hamrin
Kurt Roland "Kurre" Hamrin (; born 19 November 1934) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a winger. He began his career in his home country with AIK, but later played for several Italian clubs, most notably Fiorentina, with w ...
, by 3–1 and in March 1955, played against the visiting
Soviet Union
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 national ...
featuring
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin (russian: Лев Иванович Яшин; 22 October 1929 – 20 March 1990), nicknamed the "Black Spider" or the "Black Panther", was a Soviet professional footballer regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper in the h ...
and lost by 3–0.
The following year Mohun Bagan also played against
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
but lost by 2–0. The following year Mohun Bagan, as a representative from India, toured
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 ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and
Malaya, which was organized solely by the assistant secretary of the club Dhiren Dey.
Mariappa Kempaiah
Mariappa Kempaiah (4 March 1932 – 2 July 2008) was an Indian professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for the India national football team, India national team at two Olympic Games. Known for his "fit ...
, a versatile footballer playing in the offense as well as defense, joined Mohun Bagan in 1957.
For the
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Badru captained the national team. While Krishnachandra 'Kesto' Pal was included in the main squad, Chuni, S Chatterjee, and Sushil Guha were selected as reserved players .
The following years were mostly unsuccessful as the club failed to win several major trophies, but during this time, Mohun Bagan obtained the services of a tough and tackling defender
Jarnail Singh Dhillon from Rajasthan Club. The arrival of
Thazhatheri Abdul Rahman at the back partnering Singh with Sanath Sett in goal, enhanced the team. With an immediate impact, Mohun Bagan won CFL and Durand Cup in 1959.
The Golden era (1960s)
Mohun Bagan in 1960, captured CFL, IFA Shield, and Durand Cup, losing just once in 42 matches played in these three tournaments. Based on their dominative performance, They were invited to a number of matches in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
travelling to
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
,
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...
and
Tanganyika
Tanganyika may refer to:
Places
* Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state
* Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania
* Tanzania Main ...
.
During the tour, out of nineteen matches 15 were won, 3 were drawn and only 1 was lost. Mohun Bagan won the Shield consecutively in 1961 and 1962. Under Dhiren Dey, a strict regime was reinstated in the club and under the coaching of Arun Sinha, scrapped the archaic
2–3–5 formation and began using 3-defenders system.
Sinha was primarily responsible for properly grooming the likes of Chuni and Singh.
On the recommendations of Chuni and Kempiah, Isaiyah Arumayinayigam had joined the team before the tour and proved his talents during the tour, earning the nickname ''"Baby Taxi"''. On 27 April 1962 Gostho Pal received the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, becoming the first footballer to do so.
The club won its tenth CFL title and IFA Shield that year. Chuni was selected to lead the national team in
1962 Asian Games
)
, Host city = Jakarta, Indonesia
, Nations participating = 17
, Athletes participating = 1,460
, Events = 120 in 13 sports
, Opening ceremony = 24 August 1962
, Closing ceremony = 4 September 1962
, ...
and won the
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
, with Jarnail Singh playing a pivotal part in the campaign.
Ashok Chatterjee
Ashok Chatterjee (1942 – 22 September 2020) was an Indian association football player.[Andhra Pradesh Police
The Andhra Pradesh Police is the law enforcement agency of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Public order and police being a state subject in India, the police force is headed by the Director general of police, Kasireddy Rajendranadh Reddy
...](_blank)
. A new club tent was inaugurated this year by the
Chief of Army Staff Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri (Bengali: জয়ন্তনাথ চৌধুরী; 10 June 1908 – 6 April 1983) was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He served as the 6th Chief of Army Staff from 1962 to 1966 and the Military Gove ...
and the
Chief Minister of West Bengal
The Chief Minister of West Bengal is the representative of the Government of India in the state of West Bengal and the head of the executive branch of the Government of West Bengal. The chief minister is head of the Council of Ministers and ap ...
Prafulla Chandra Sen
Prafulla Chandra Sen (10 April 1897 – 25 September 1990) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1962 to 1967.
Background
Prafulla Chandra Sen was born in the village Senhati in the Khulna ...
.
![Jarnail Singh Dhillon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Jarnail_Singh_Dhillon.jpg)
1964 saw Mohun Bagan celebrate its
platinum jubilee
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.
The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the other C ...
with a year-long celebration involving numerous sporting events.
Popular
Hungarian club
Tatabánya
Tatabánya (; german: Totiserkolonie; sk, Banská Stará) is a City with county rights, city with county rights of 64,305 inhabitants in northwestern Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County.
L ...
was invited to play a series of friendly matches. An exhibition cricket match was arranged between
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
Commonwealth XI, featuring names like
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Nawab Mohammad Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (also known as Mansur Ali Khan, or M. A. K. Pataudi; 5 January 1941 – 22 September 2011; nicknamed Tiger Pataudi) was an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the Indian cricket team.
Pataudi was a ...
,
Vijay Manjrekar
Vijay Laxman Manjrekar (26 September 1931 – 18 October 1983) was an Indian cricketer who played 55 Tests. He represented several teams (Andhra, Bengal, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) in his first-class career. A small man, ...
,
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Maneksha Engineer (born 25 February 1938) is an Indian former cricketer. He played 46 Test matches for India, played first-class cricket for Bombay in India from 1959 to 1975 and for Lancashire County Cricket Club in England from 196 ...
,
M. L. Jaisimha
Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha (3 March 1939 – 6 July 1999) was an Indian Test cricketer.
Playing career
Jaisimha was a right-handed batsman who was noted for his style on and off the field. He bowled medium pace, often opening the bowling ...
,
Salim Durani
Salim Aziz Durani (born 11 December 1934) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Test matches from 1960 to 1973. An all-rounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed batsman famous for his six-hitting prowess. He ...
,
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, (born 28 July 1936), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, ...
,
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 19324 December 2000) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University (1952–1954), Kent County Cricket Club (1950–1976) and England (1954–1975). Univers ...
,
Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq Mohammad PP (Urdu: مشتاق محمد; born 22 November 1943) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played in 57 Tests and 10 ODIs from 1959 to 1979. A right-handed batsman and a leg-spinner, he is one of the mo ...
and
Lance Gibbs
Lancelot Richard Gibbs (born 29 September 1934) is a former West Indies cricketer, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history. He took 309 Test wickets, only the second player (after Fred Trueman) to pass 300, the first spi ...
. An exhibition hockey match between India and Calcutta XI and
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
matches featuring the likes of
Ramanathan Krishnan
Ramanathan Krishnan (born 11 April 1937)
is a retired tennis player from India who was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. He was twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961, reaching as high as World No. 3 in Potte ...
,
Jaidip Mukerjea
Jaidip Mukerjea (born 21 April 1942) is a retired professional tennis player from India.
Personal life
Mukerjea is the grandson of Indian independence leader Chittaranjan Das.
He completed his schooling from La Martiniere Calcutta.
Tennis car ...
,
Bob Hewitt and
Martin Mulligan
Martin "Marty" Mulligan (born 18 October 1940) is a former tennis player from Australia. He is best known for reaching the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1962, where he was defeated by fellow Australian Rod Laver.
Personal life
Mulligan ...
were arranged as well. A team of
East German
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
athletes was invited to take part in the
athletic meet along with an Indian team. Off-the-field numerous processions and shows were organized to celebrate this occasion, and several high-profile personalities attended the festivities. Fittingly, the club enjoyed massive success in cricket by winning CAB Cricket League, in hockey by winning
Aga Khan Gold Cup
The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the top club sides from leading football playing nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of AFC Champio ...
, in football by winning the IFA Shield, the CFL, and the Durand Cup by defeating East Bengal.
Chandreshwar Prasad, a tough and uncompromising defender skilled in the air, joined Mohun Bagan in 1965. Punjab Kannan and
Sukalyan Ghosh Dastidar
Sukalyan Ghosh Dastidar (born 1947) was an Indian professional footballer from Jalpaiguri, who played as a striker (association football), striker for the India national football team, alongside Mohun Bagan AC, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC, Ea ...
, famous for their long-range shots, joined the club in 1967 and 1969, respectively. In 1967 and 1968, Mohun Bagan won just two trophies, the Shield and Rover's Cup, respectively. Chuni retired from football in 1968 after spending his whole career at Mohun Bagan; thus, the golden era slowly ended. In 1969 a young and eccentric coach named
Amal Dutta
Amal Dutta (4 May 1930 – 10 July 2016) was a former Indian footballer, coach and football manager. Born in Calcutta, then Bengal Presidency, he is considered as the first professional football coach in the country. A finest thinker of the sp ...
joined, who was also the first professional coach in India, and introduced the concept of overlapping
full-backs in
4–2–4 to Indian football, for which Bhabani Roy was the primary candidate. With the new strategy in place, Mohun Bagan played scintillating football and captured CFL and IFA Shield with a 3–1 victory against East Bengal in the Shield final.
Decline and revival under P. K. Banerjee (1970s)
![Syed Nayeemuddin - South 24 Parganas 2016-02-14 1163](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Syed_Nayeemuddin_-_South_24_Parganas_2016-02-14_1163.JPG)
Mohun Bagan struggled to assert dominance in the first half of the 1970s and failed to match their arch-rivals regarding team building. Although they won Rover's Cup from 1970 to 1972, they fared poorly in other major tournaments.
Mohun Bagan failed to beat East Bengal even once between 1969 and 1974 and lost to their arch-rivals in Durand Cup and IFA Shield finals multiple times. The lowest point of their decline came in
1975 IFA Shield final when Mohun Bagan lost 5–0 to East Bengal, the biggest margin of defeat in the derby till then. The ignominy surrounding the heavy defeat was that several Mohun Bagan players spent the night holed up on a boat in the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
as the supporters laid siege to the club tent. Umakanto Palodhi, an ardent Mohun Bagan fan, committed suicide. He wrote in his suicide note that he will be born as a Mohun Bagan footballer in the next life and will take revenge for that 0–5 defeat. In May 1972, Mohun Bagan toured to newly independent
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 ...
to play exhibition matches, where they defeated
Dhaka Mohammedan
Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited Dhaka, founded in 1936 at Dhaka, is one of the oldest and one of the most popular football clubs in Bangladesh, with a support base in all parts of the country. The club currently plays in the Bangladesh Premie ...
in their first match, but lost to
Shadhin Bangla football team later.
Mohun Bagan did recruit a number of young players in 1974 and 1975 so as to steer the team back to success.
Subrata Bhattacharya
Subrata Bhattacharya is an Indian football manager and former professional footballer who played as a defender for the Indian national team and spent 17 years playing for Mohun Bagan. He was the stopper back for Mohun Bagan during 1975 IFA Sh ...
, an indomitable defender,
Prasun Banerjee, a dictating midfielder, and
Narayanswami Ulaganathan, a swift winger, joined in 1974 at a young age. In 1975, Compton Dutta, an impeccable right-back, and Dilip Palit, a combative full-back, joined the team. In 1976 the wheel had finally turned as Mohun Bagan assembled their best team in years under the helm of Chandra Madhab Roy. Along with the strong core group that joined in 1974 and 1975, the club added a host of players from their two local rivals, including
Mohammed Habib, his brother Mohammed Akbar and
Subhash Bhowmick. Habib was an extremely tactful attacker, Akbar was a prolific striker, and Bhowmik was one of the finest wingers. Young winger
Bidesh Bose also donned the Green-Maroon jersey for the first time and would soon make his mark with his darting runs along the touchline. Pradeep Chowdhury arrived at the club to partner with Subrata in the defense. Mohun Bagan’s most important investment was in the coaching post, where Prasun's brother,
P.K. Banerjee was employed after his immensely successful spell at East Bengal. Under him, 1976 turned into one of the best years in the club’s history when Mohun Bagan won their first CFL and IFA Shield titles since 1969 and added Rover's Cup to their success. In 1976, a hattrick of
Bordoloi Trophy was completed along with a victory in
Darjeeling Gold Cup
All India Darjeeling Gold Cup, also known as All India Brigade of Gorkha's Gold Cup Football Tournament, or simply GTA Chairman's Gold Cup, is an Indian association football tournament held in Darjeeling and organized by the Indian Darjeeling G ...
. Most significantly, Mohun Bagan ended a seven-year wait to win the Derby in 1976 with a 17 seconds header from Akbar, assisted by Ulanganathan. Along with
Shyam Thapa
Shyam Thapa is a retired Indian footballer who played for the India national football team and was the bronze-medallist at the Football at the 1970 Asian Games, 1970 Asian Games. He also managed the Nepal national football team. Coached by P. ...
, other iconic names like Sudhir Karmakar and
Gautam Sarkar
Gautam Sarkar, also spelt as Goutam Sarkar, and known by the nickname "Indian Beckenbauer" (born 8 January 1950), is a former Indian Bengali international footballer and football coach from West Bengal. He completed his schooling from Baranagore R ...
, who were affectionately called ''"Indian Beckenbaur"'' for his snatching abilities in the midfield, also joined Mohun Bagan in the following year.
Shibaji Banerjee
Shibaji Banerjee (died 19 February 2017) was an Indian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Mohun Bagan and the India national team.
Playing career
He was mainly known as the goalkeeper for Mohun Bagan when the club took on the New York ...
played his first senior game for the club in 1977 after being a part of the youth teams. With one of the best squads in its history, Mohun Bagan suffered a shocking defeat of
1–0 against
ITI team in the
inaugural
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...
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 ...
, which became the most prestigious title in the country, and also lost the first Derby of that year. But they successfully captured Bordoloi Trophy by thrashing Mohammedan with 4–0 and also became the first club to win the "triple crown" – the IFA Shield, the Durand Cup, and the Rover's Cup, in that year and as per club traditions, they invited East Bengal for dinner.
On 24 September 1977, through the efforts of Dhiren Dey Mohun Bagan played a friendly match against the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
club
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to
* New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada)
* New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...
which featured
Brazilian World Cup winners like
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
and
Carlos Alberto Torres
Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres (17 July 1944 – 25 October 2016), also known as "O Capitão do Tri", was a Brazilian football player and manager who played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back. A technically gifted defender w ...
, and
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
icon
Giorgio Chinaglia
Giorgio Chinaglia (; 24 January 1947 – 1 April 2012) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales, and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. He later returned to Italy to ...
.
The game, which took place at
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 ...
, had a match attendance of 80,000 along with the Chief Minister of West Bengal
Jyoti Basu.
[ NY Cosmos had took a lead through Alberto but it was soon equalized by Thapa. Surprisingly, Mohun Bagan took the lead through Habib but late in the game, Chinaglia’s goal kept the final scoreline at 2–2. One of the remarkable instances in the game was Shibaji's brilliant save to deny a Pelé free-kick.]
After the further additions of Manas Bhattacharya and Shyamal Banerjee, Mohun Bagan continued their dominant run in 1978, consisting of a CFL win with record 78 goals in 22 matches and a Federation Cup joint-win with East Bengal. In the IFA Shield final, Mohun Bagan was up against the Soviet
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, ...
club Ararat Yereven featuring Arkady Andreasyan
Arkady Georgievich Andreasyan ( hy, Արկադի Գեորգիի Անդրեասյան, russian: Аркадий Георгиевич Андреасян; 11 August 1947 – 23 December 2020) was a Soviet Armenian football player and manager. He pla ...
and Khoren Oganesian
Khoren Oganesian ( hy, Խորեն Հովհաննիսյան; born 10 January 1955), also known as Khoren Hovhannisyan, is a former Armenian and Soviet football player who played as a midfielder and current manager and coach. He was awarded the Mas ...
. P.K. Banerjee lined up in a defensive 5–2–3 formation, but the visitors still took an early lead. As the visitors struggled with the wet climatic conditions, Banerjee changed to a more attacking 4–2–4 formation by bringing on winger Bidesh Bose. Bose instantly changed the game as Mohun Bagan raced to a 2–1 lead with the goals from Habib and Manas, but a late goal from Oganesian prevented a famous win for Mohun Bagan, and both the clubs were declared winners. Thus, the club became the first Indian team, post-independence, to win the IFA Shield while competing against a non-Asian side in the final. The following year, Mohun Bagan squad saw the arrival of Xavier Pius who became popular for his individual flair. Mohun Bagan had a cent percent success record winning all four trophies they participated in, including CFL, Durand Cup, and IFA Shield.
The National Club of India (1980s)
The dominance in Durand Cup and Federation Cup was continued in 1980, meanwhile CFL and IFA Shield was called off after a tragic incident that took place during the Derby on 16 August where sixteen people died in a riot among the supporters inside Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater stadium, all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekan ...
.[
In 1981 Mohun Bagan won their first standalone Federation Cup after beating Mohammedan by 2–0, and added IFA Shield and Rover's Cup to the collection as well.] The club made some impactful signings like Krishanu Dey
Krishanu Dey ( bn, কৃশানু দে; 14 February 1962 – 20 March 2003) was an Indian footballer from Kolkata, India. He was an attacking midfielder and was known as the "Indian Maradona" among his fans due to his footballing skills an ...
, Krishnendu Roy and Sudip 'Tulu' Chatterjee. 1983 was a comparatively unsuccessful year. After six golden years, the club only managed to win CFL, with Manas Bhattacharya being the league's top scorer. As a result, a host of new players were recruited in 1984, and the most notable names being Prasanta Banerjee
Prasanta Banerjee is an Indian football midfielder who played for India national football team in the 1984 Asian Cup. He is one of the few players who has captained and won trophies in all three big clubs viz. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mo ...
, Babu Mani
Babu Mani ( – 19 November 2022) was an Indian footballer who played for India as a forward in the 1984 AFC Asian Cup. He also played for Mohun Bagan. He also played for East Bengal under the coaching of Syed Nayeemuddin.
Mani made his inte ...
and Tanumoy Basu, who replaced Shibaji in the goal, and that led to major successes, including Durand Cup and CFL. Later, Sisir Ghosh
Sisir Ghosh is a former Indian professional footballer who played as a striker for local Kolkata clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He also represented the India national team.
International career
Ghosh made his competitive debut for the In ...
was brought in, and he made a successful attacking duo with Mani. Mohun Bagan established a statue honoring Gostho Pal at Maidan. In 1986 players like Satyajit Chatterjee
Satyajit Chatterjee is an Indian former footballer and coach, who captained Mohun Bagan and represented India internationally. He is currently the assistant general secretary of Mohun Bagan AC.
He was born in Bally in the Howrah district of W ...
, Aloke Mukherjee
Aloke Mukherjee is an Indian former international association football, football left back. He was active as a footballer from 1978 to 1997. He was named in the All Time best Eleven Indian Team by footballer and coach Pradip Kumar Banerjee, PK. ...
and Amit Bhadra made to the squad, and the year ended with CFL, third consecutive Durand Cup, and Federation Cup after a four-year wait, and qualifying for 1987 Asian Club Championship for the first time. Mohun Bagan won twice in the group stage of ACC with 12 goals, half of which were scored by Sisir. However, finishing second in the group failed to progress to the semi-final group. They qualified for ACC once again for the 1988–89 season by winning the 1987 Federation Cup and displayed outstanding performance in the group stage, including a 6–0 defeat of Pakistani team Crescent Textiles Mill with a hat-trick from Sisir. Still, in the semi-final group, they lost every game and finished at the bottom. At the domestic level, the club failed to win any major tournament except Rover's Cup.
Mohun Bagan celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1989 with a grand torch rally starting from Basu Bati in North Kolkata
North Kolkata encompasses the northern part of Kolkata, including the city's oldest neighbourhood.
Shyambazar, Bagbazar, Kumartuli, Shobhabazar, Posta, Jorasanko, Rajabazar, Phoolbagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Ultadanga, Chitpur, Belgachia, ...
and covered several important places in Mohun Bagan's history before reaching the Mohun Bagan Ground
Mohun Bagan Ground, also known as Mohun Bagan–Calcutta FC Ground, is a football stadium located in the maidan region of central Kolkata, just opposite the Eden Gardens. The stadium is leased to Mohun Bagan AC and is mostly used as training gr ...
. The Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
arrived for the celebrations and during his speech, he referred to Mohun Bagan as ''"The National Club of India"''. Fittingly, Mohun Bagan won CFL and IFA Shield by defeating Tata Football Academy
Tata Football Academy (Tata FA or TFA) is an association football academy situated in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India, sponsored by Tata Steel, which owns ISL outfit Jamshedpur FC. It is one of the renowned football academies in India.
History ...
in the final by 1–0. Mohun Bagan became the first club to be honored by a postage stamp from the Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
on this historical year.
Commercialisation and incoming of foreigners (1990–2000)
The centenary celebrations continued till 1990 when Mohun Bagan played against an assembled team that featured Cameroonian World Cupper Roger Milla
Albert Roger Miller (born 20 May 1952), known as Roger Milla, is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three Wor ...
. It was a disappointing year with only the CFL title in the bag, and upon that, the club lost its president Dhiren Dey, who had devoted his life to commanding the club for around five decades. Subrata Bhattacharya retired after 17 years in the team, with 52 trophies won and the accolade of the first Indian defender to score 50 career goals. After the exit of some long-serving officials from the management, a new generation of officials was elected, with prominent figures like Swapan Sadhan Bose
Swapan Sadhan Bose, also known as Tutu Bose (born 23 January 1948), is an Indian politician from All India Trinamool Congress who was a Member of the Parliament of India representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parli ...
, Anjan Mitra, Balaram Chowdhury, and Biru Chatterjee. One of the most significant changes made by the new board was a change in Mohun Bagan’s constitution which had prevented foreigners to join the club to maintain the tag of the ''National Club of India''. The club also began to accept sponsorships for the next eight years from major institutions like SAIL
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
, 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 ...
, PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...
, and Tata Tea
Tata Consumer Products is an Indian fast-moving consumer goods company and a part of the Tata Group. Its registered office is located in Kolkata while its corporate headquarters is in Mumbai. It is the world's second-largest manufacturer and d ...
. The club invested significantly to bring back Krishanu Dey and Babu Mani, along with other major signings like Bikash Panji
Bikash Panji is a retired Indian professional football midfielder who played for India.
Playing career
Panji represented India at the 1984 Asian Cup. He also played club football for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He scored two goals (both aga ...
and especially I. M. Vijayan
Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (born 25 April 1969), also known by the nickname Kalo Harin (Blackbuck), is a former professional football player who also captained the India national football team. He played as a striker, where he formed a successf ...
, who was being approached by every major club in the country. In 1991 Mohun Bagan made their first-ever foreign recruitment, which was a Nigerian striker Chima Okorie
Chima Ephraim Okorie (born 8 October 1968 in Izomber, Abia State) is a Nigerian former professional football striker who was renowned for his goalscoring prowess in the Indian leagues. He went on to score 131 goals for East Bengal in three ...
from East Bengal, and later the second foreign signing was another Nigerian striker Bernard Operanozie, who would play as a defender. With the arrival of Syed Nayeemuddin on the bench, Mohun Bagan defended their Rover's Cup and won another Federation Cup in 1992. The following year Oparanozie got the captain's responsibilities after Bhadra got out with injury, and being the club's first foreign captain, he led the team to win Federation Cup again. Mohun Bagan also famously won over Croatian club Varteks that year in the group stage of DCM Trophy
The Delhi Cloth Mills Trophy, known simply as D.C.M. Trophy, was an invitational football tournament in India. It was held annually in New Delhi and was organised by the local Delhi Football Association. It was India's first football tournamen ...
. 1994 was a decorative year with four trophies, including Federation Cup for the third consecutive time, Durand Cup after an eight-year wait, and the CFL. While in 1993–94 Asian Club Championship, Mohun Bagan easily thumped 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 ...
and Ratnam in the preliminary stage, but after a 4–0 away loss to Thai Farmers' Bank in the 1st leg of the second round, Mohun Bagan was ejected out of the tournament for refusing to play the 2nd leg in Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. India was amid plague outbreak. Mohun Bagan failed to win any major trophy for the following two years.
In December 1996, 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 ...
began as the top-tier league in the country, and Mohun Bagan finished at the bottom in the group stage with just one win and was relegated in the next season, which was later revoked by the organizers. The club appointed their former coach, Amal Dutta and under him, Mohun Bagan began to play in an innovative 3–4–3 "Diamond System," which was bolstered by the likes of Abdul Khaliq and Okerie in the front, Mohun Bagan played very offensively, which was rare in Indian football. The glamorous success achieved by Amal Dutta and P.K. Banerjee, who was now coaching East Bengal, had given birth to a significant coaching rivalry between them during the 80s, which reached its peak at the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final. It was one of the most anticipated matches in Indian football history, pitting two fierce rivalries – Mohun Bagan and Amal Dutta against East Bengal and P.K. Banerjee – at one stage. With a record 131,000 attendance at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Mohun Bagan’s defensive frailties were exposed by Bhaichung Bhutia
Bhaichung Bhutia (born 15 December 1976), also spelled as Baichung Bhutia, is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often ...
, who scored a hattrick in a 4–1 victory for East Bengal. Despite the loss, fans lauded Mohun Bagan's impressive style of play under Dutta's Diamond System. Regardless, the club steered back to win the 1997–98 National Football League with ten matches unbeaten run and only two losses in the league, under the mentorship of T. K. Chathunni
T. K. Chathunni is an Indian football coach and a former player from Chalakudy, Kerala.
Coaching career
He has managed most of football clubs in India like FC Kochin, Dempo S.C., Salgaocar F.C., Mohun Bagan A.C., Churchill Brothers S.C., Chirag ...
after Dutta left midway due to internal strife with the club officials. Players like Okorie, Dipendu Biswas, Reazul Mustafa and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
n winger Roshan Pereira played pivotal roles in the team. Mohun Bagan’s performance in January 1998 earned them the AFC title of ''"Diadora Team of Asia"'' for that month, and went on to win the Federation Cup as well.
In 1998, United Spirits
United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports i ...
, a subsidiary of 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 ...
owned 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 ...
, entered into a partnership with Mohun Bagan by buying a 50% stake in the club's football division and formed a joint-venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
entity named ''United Mohun Bagan Private Limited''. For the first time the club was transformed into a 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 re ...
establishment from a society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...
status, and the name of the club's football division was thus changed to ''McDowell's Mohun Bagan FC''. That season saw them defeat Uzbek giant Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent ( uz, Paxtakor futbol klubi) is an Uzbek professional association football, football club, based in the capital city Tashkent, that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League. Pakhtakor literally means "cotton-grower" in Englis ...
in the IFA Shield group stage, and eventually win the Shield. Mohun Bagan signed a host of foreigners for the 1999–00 National Football League. Renowned internationals like Uzbek striker Igor Shkvyrin
Igor Shkvyrin (russian: Игорь Анатольевич Шквырин, ; born 29 April 1963 in Tashkent) is a retired Uzbekistani professional footballer who played for several clubs in Europe and Asia and the Uzbekistan national football tea ...
, Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
forward Stephen Abarowei, Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
full-back Dusit Chalermsan
Dusit Chalermsan (born April 22, 1970; th, ดุสิต เฉลิมแสน) is a Thai football coach and retired professional footballer who played as a Left-back. He is currently manager of Thai League 1 club PT Prachuap.
He played ...
and Kenyan defender Samuel "Pamzo" Omollo, and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian José Ramirez Barreto joined the club. The Indian contingent in the club was kept almost intact from the last season with the addition of the striker R.C. Prakash and full-back Dulal Biswas
Dulal Biswas (born 17 November 1973) is an Indian former footballer who played for East Bengal, Mohun Bagan AC and Prayag United. He was the captain of East Bengal for the 1997–1998 season.
Honours
East Bengal
* IFA Shield: 1994
* Rovers ...
, Mohun Bagan comfortably won the league along with Durand Cup and Rover's Cup with former club player Subrata Bhattacharya at the helm. But at the continental stage, got eliminated with an 8–0 defeat against Júbilo Iwata
is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...
in the second round of the 1999–00 Asian Club Championship.
Heightened foreign influence (2000–2010)
In the 2001–02 season, Mohun Bagan's bid to win back-to-back league titles was shattered when they finished second by just a point behind East Bengal. However, Barreto finished as the league's top scorer. Mohun Bagan captured the 2001 Federation Cup due to the heroics of goalkeeper Bibhas Ghosh and Barreto, who was awarded the tournament's best player. Mohun Bagan also triumphed in the Bordoloi Trophy after thrashing Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
club Rajpracha 4–0 in the final. Mohun Bagan’s squad was joined by another Nigerian, Abdulatif Seriki replacing Omollo. On the final matchday, in a must-win situation against the title contender – 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 ...
, Mohun Bagan clinched their third league title with a 73rd-minute header by the Nigerian defender Abdul Wastu Saliu assisted by Basudeb Mandal's corner kick. Under Subrata Bhattacharya, Mohun Bagan became the first club to win Federation Cup and NFL in a season. One of the more significant developments saw Mohun Bagan flag off the first residential football academy by any top-flight Indian club, set up in Durgapur with the assistance of SAIL. In 2002 and 2003, the club plunged into uncertain times owing to internal administrative problems and problems with their investors. Internal strife among club officials caused a failure in retaining most of their players from the league-winning squad, including the departure of Subrata in 2003. Problems with sponsors reached such a critical stage that United Breweries threatened to sue the club at one point. Bhaichung Bhutia, who had joined the club in 2002, missed out on most of the season to injuries, producing a negligible impact on the team. As a result, Mohun Bagan’s on-field form slumped remarkably, with the club winning just one major trophy in the form of the IFA Shield in these two years. To make matters worse, in 2004, Mohun Bagan's most influential foreigner – Barreto, also left the club and Mohun Bagan finished 7th and 9th in 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons respectively. The barren period of major trophies also continued next season, as they finished 8th in the league and runner-up in Federation Cup. In 2004, Mohun Bagan became the first Indian club to launch a credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
in association with ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Limited is an Indian Private bank. It is headquartered at Mumbai. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services for corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and specialized subsidiari ...
. FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
formed an elite task force the same year and Mohun Bagan was one of only eleven clubs selected globally along with names like River Plate, Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
and Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
.
With internal problems slowly subsiding, Mohun Bagan assembled a strong side in 2006 that included Barreto and Bhaichung's return, along with a combative Brazilian midfielder Douglas Silva
Douglas Silva (born 27 September 1988)[City of Men - The Movie: Cast](_blank)
is a Brazilian actor. ...
. The team was further bolstered with top Indian players like Sangram Mukherjee
Sangram Mukherjee (born 1981) is a retired Indian professional footballer. Born and raised in Kanchrapara, Mukherjee achieved fame during playing for Mohun Bagan AC. He last played for Southern Samity in the Calcutta Football League.
Internat ...
, Deepak Mondal
Deepak Kumar Mondal (born 12 October 1979) is an Indian professional footballer who last played as a right-back for Food Corporation of India FC. A graduate of the Tata Football Academy, Mondol, an Arjuna Award winner, was one of India's most p ...
as well as youngsters like Lalawmpuia Pachuau
Lalawmpuia Pachuau is an Indian soccer, football who plays for South United F.C., South United in the I-League 2nd Division as a forward (association football), forward. Lalawmpuia Pachuau is a product of the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpu ...
, Lalkamal Bhowmick
Lalkamal Bhowmick (born 2 January 1987 in Kolkata) is an Indian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Pathachakra in the Calcutta Football League.
Career
He joined SAIL Football Academy in Bokaro and was there for four years, before joinin ...
and Sushil Kumar Singh. With the sudden resignation of coach Biswajit Bhattacharya, the Brazilian physio of the team, Robson Mattos was hastily promoted as the team's coach. Bhutia and Sangram's collective heroics led them to their 12th Federation Cup. While the 2006–07 league season didn't go well with as many as three foreign coaches taking part during the campaign in the form of Robson Mattos and former players – Chima Okorie and Bernard Oparanozie. 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 ...
Sepp Blatter
Joseph "Sepp" Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of ...
came to Kolkata and attended Mohun Bagan's won 2-1 Derby win on 15 April 2007. On Mohun Bagan Day, the club became the first in India to launch an official mascot which was a tiger named ''"Baggu"''. In 2007 Mohun Bagan sealed their first-ever 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 ...
with a 4–0 victory over the league champions Dempo
Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Mr. Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941 along with his younger brother Mr. Vaikuntrao Dempo. Mr. Vasantrao S. Demp ...
, with Bhutia scoring a hattrick. In 2007–08 season, where NFL got rebranded as 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 ...
, Brazilian coach Carlos Roberto Pereira
Carlos Roberto Pereira da Silva (born 22 March 1946) is a Brazilian association football manager. He managed Bengal Mumbai FC in the Mumbai Football League from 2008 to 2009.
References
1946 births
Living people
Churchill Brother ...
took the reins of the team but failed to win any significant accolade. The following season, Mohun Bagan appointed Moroccan coach Karim Bencherifa
Karim Bencherifa (born 15 February 1968) is a former Moroccan football player and head coach, who currently manages Botola 2 side IZK Khemisset. Bencherifa has been a head coach in six countries which include his home nation Morocco, as well ...
, who led the team to a record 10-match winning run in the league and a Federation Cup victory. Still, poor performance in his second league resulted in him being sacked midway through the 2009–10 season and putting Satyajit Chatterjee as the interim coach. The only highlight of his second season campaign was the 5–3 Derby victory on 25 October 2009.
In 2008, Mohun Bagan players got the opportunity to play against German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
icon Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...
in his official testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...
for Bayern Munich, which also featured Brazilian star Zé Roberto
José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back or as a midfielder. Currently, he is a technical advisor to Palmeiras, acting directly ...
. The match was played on 27 May 2008 at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and finished with Bayern Munich comfortably winning by 3–0. The same year Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
World Cup winner Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
paid a visit to the club tent during a tour to India.
Strive for success and ultimate takeover by ATK (2010–20)
Ranking
Mohun Bagan emerged as third ranked Indian team, and 611 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. The club though struggled for supremacy in the first five years of the new decade, and the seasons were marked by poor team recruitment, which lacked balance and overpaying for players. The management focused only on recruiting big names while ignoring essential areas of the team which needed bolstering. Some of the foreign stars recruited during this period were Odafa Onyeka Okolie from Churchill Brothers, with a record salary of 1.4 crores per year in 2011, Muritala Ali
Subair Muritala Ali (born in Nigeria) is a Nigerian football player. Muritala earlier played for Mahindra United
Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai ...
from Mahindra United
Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Founded in 1962, the club competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system, bef ...
and Tolgay Özbey
Tolgay Özbey (born 12 April 1986) is an Australian professional soccer player, who last played for Rockdale City Suns in the National Premier Leagues NSW as a striker.
Biography
Australian Clubs
Early in his career, Özbey was recognized ...
from East Bengal. These players failed to replicate their form shown at their former clubs and as a result Mohun Bagan teams which were often built around them also suffered. After an illustrious career at Mohun Bagan, Barreto finally made his exit in 2012. A crowd of 30,000 turned up at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 6 May 2012 as Barreto played his last match for the club against Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
, where he scored his final goal for the team. The Brazilian ended his career at the club as the first foreigner to score over 200 goals in India for a club with his final tally reading 228 goals in 371 matches.
The club endured a phase of five years without a major trophy between 2010 and 2015, the longest such phase since the nation's independence. On 29 December 2012, Mohun Bagan was barred from competing in I-League for two years following a decision taken by the league's core committee. The suspension came because Mohun Bagan had refused to take the field in the second half of the match against 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 ...
on 9 December 2012, citing crowd violence and an unsuitable atmosphere for the continuation of the match. All their results in the 2012-13 season were declared null and void and all their remaining fixtures were cancelled. However on 15 January 2013, Mohun Bagan appealed against the decision and were reinstated, but a hefty amount was fined, their officials were suspended from all the AIFF meetings for a year and, the team would start with 0 points and would play out only the remaining 16 fixtures in the league. This did not affect their win-loss and goal difference record in the table. This led the team in a dire relegation fight but were successful to avoided it. In the following season, the team performed disastrously and finished 8th in the table, scarcely avoiding relegation. A constant incoming and outgoing of coaches saw established names like Subrata Bhattacharya, Subhash Bhowmick and Karim Bencherifa, along with younger coaches like Stanley Rozario
Henry Stanley Rozario (born 22 April 1960) is an Indian professional Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of I-League club Aizawl FC, Aizawl.
He managed top clu ...
and Santosh Kashyap
Santosh Kashyap is a football manager who is current head coach of Chennaiyin FC B. During his professional career, he represented India in international level and Mahindra United in the National Football League. Previously, he has been yout ...
failing to end the precarious state of the team.
Mohun Bagan started the 2014–15 season with Subhash Bhowmick on the bench. However, poor performance in CFL and Bhowmick’s lack of mandatory AFC Pro license saw Sanjoy Sen
Sanjoy Sen (born 12 December 1960) is a football manager who currently serves as the assistant manager of Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan. Under his leadership Mohun Bagan won the title of Hero I-League 2014–15 and Hero Federation ...
taking over the reins before Federation Cup. Mohun Bagan’s Cup campaign didn't go well, and they crashed out of the tournament after a 4–1 loss against Salgaocar. Before I-League started, Sen made numerous tactical changes and played in a 4–2–3–1 formation. The trident of foreigners – Katsumi Yusa
is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fukushima United.
Career Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yusa debuted for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a 2-2 home draw against Gamba Osaka in the 2007 J1 League on 1 December. Yusa also m ...
, Pierre Boya
Pierre Boya (born 16 January 1984) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Club career
On 10 November 2003, Boya signed a four-year contract with Partizan. He scored a goal on his debut for the club two weeks later in a ...
and Sony Norde
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
was backed by energetic ball-winners like Sehnaj Singh and led by Balwant Singh in front. The defense was reinforced by veteran 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 ...
and Pritam Kotal
Pritam Kotal ( bn, প্রীতম কোটাল; born 8 September 1993) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan, which he captains and the India national team.
Club c ...
, while the goal was guarded by young Debjit Majumder
Debjit Majumder (born 6 March 1988), is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Chennaiyin.
Early life
Majumder hails from Hindmotor, known for Hindustan Motors factory(now closed), in Hooghly ...
. The final league match was against the title contender, Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
at Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Sree Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium, also known as Sampangi Outdoor Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bangalore, India. It houses a running track, a volleyball court, and two outdoor rock climbing walls. The stadium is owned by the Department ...
, with just one point advantage. In the 86th minute, a corner kick from Norde was headed in Razaq to equalize the score-line to 1–1, thereby winning their first major trophy in five seasons and the first league title in eleven years. Mohun Bagan had reached their quasquicentennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saint ...
year of existence in 2014, therefore club organized a huge rally in North Kolkata chiefly to celebrate the anniversary on 1 June 2015. The celebration was capped off with their league victory achieved the previous month. The victory parade saw around 200,000 supporters, by some estimates, lined up along the streets, with prominent former club associates like P.K. Banerjee, Manas Bhattacharya, Bidesh Bose, Compton Dutta, Shibaji Banerjee, and Satyajit Chatterjee involved with the celebrations. FIFA president Sepp Blatter also congratulated Mohun Bagan in a special letter. At the continental stage, Mohun Bagan became the first Indian club to win a match in AFC Champions League
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 competition ...
and qualify for the second preliminary round of ACL qualifying play-offs, when they defeated Singaporen club Tampines Rovers
Tampines Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945, the club have won the national league ...
by 3–1. Mohun Bagan also recorded the biggest margin of victory by an Indian club in an 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 ...
away match when they defeated Hongkongese
Hongkongers (), also known as Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people, typically refers to residents of the territory of Hong Kong; although may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the ...
based club South China
South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
by 4–0. In that edition, the team also reached the round of 16 but got eliminated by Tampines Rovers.
After a breakaway from United Breweries in 2015, Mohun Bagan was once again re-established as a society. Still, in 2017 ''Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) '' was registered as a legal entity on 31 July 2017. The new legal entity created was exclusively for all football activities of the Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. On 28 September 2018 in the ''Clash of Legends'' (a match between the teams of retired former players of the respective clubs), Mohun Bagan ''Legends'' hosted Barcelona ''Legends'' at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, that was attended by a crowd of 45,000, along with one of the directors of Barcelona Pau Vilanova and the mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of Kolkata Sovan Chatterjee
Sovan Chatterjee (born 7 July 1964) is an Indian politician. He is a former member of Bharatiya Janata Party, and former Mayor of the city of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Chatterjee served as a Kolkata Municipal Corpo ...
. The fixture concluded with a heavy defeat for the hosts by a score-line of 6–0. The following three seasons since the title win, Mohun Bagan continued their strong contest for trophies, but succeeding to win only the 2016 Federation Cup, though foreigners like Yusa and Norde continued to make their presence felt with strong performances, along with single season signings like Darryl Duffy
Darryl Alexander Duffy (born 16 April 1984) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Stranraer. He began playing professionally in 2003 and has played for sixteen different teams across a number of countries. He played for Scotlan ...
and Cornell Glen
Cornelius "Cornell" Glen CM (born 21 October 1981) is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Glen began his professional career in 1999 with Trinidadian club FUTGOF. After two years with FUTGOF, Gle ...
. Among the Indians, Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua Fanai (born 7 January 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker, and last appeared with Indian Super League club East Bengal. Between 2011 and 2019, he scored 23 goals in 56 international matches represe ...
, Pritam Kotal
Pritam Kotal ( bn, প্রীতম কোটাল; born 8 September 1993) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan, which he captains and the India national team.
Club c ...
, and Prabir Das
Prabir Das ( bn, প্রবীর দাস; born 20 December 1993) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a right back for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.
Club career Pailan Arrows
On 23 September 2012 Das scored hi ...
produced some of their best performances for the team. In 2018, the team managed to reach the semi-final of the inaugural
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...
Super Cup that replaced Federation Cup as the country's top knock-out tournament. The following season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
was considerably poor under the new coach Khalid Jamil
Khalid Ahmed Jamil (born 21 April 1977) is an Indian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of I-league second division club FC Bengaluru United.
He is the first Indian permanent head coach of an ISL team ...
, as the team finished 5th on the table. The club also pulled out of Super Cup along with the other participating I-League clubs in protest against the unfair schedule favoring 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 ...
clubs. Therefore the season concluded with no national trophies in three consecutive seasons. The management appointed Kibu Vicuña for the next season, and he gave the leadership duties to Dhanachandra Singh
Leihaorungbam Dhanachandra Singh is an Indian footballer who plays as left back.
International
Dhanachandra made his national team debut on 11 June 2015 against Oman in a Group D game of the 2018 World Cup qualifier, playing as centre back a ...
and Gurjinder Kumar
Gurjinder Kumar ( pa, ਗੁਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਕੁਮਾਰ; born 10 October 1990), is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for NorthEast United in the Indian Super League.
Club career
Early career
Born in Nawanshahr, ...
. He promoted several players like Subha Ghosh
Subha Ghosh (born 22 December 2000) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for I-League 2 club Mumbai Kenkre.
Club career Early career
A product of Mohun Bagan's academy, Ghosh made his competitive debut for the first-te ...
, Sk. Sahil and Kiyan Nassiri
Kiyan Nassiri Giri (born 17 November 2000) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan SG.
Personal life
Kiyan is the son of former Iran national youth team ...
from the youth ranks to the first team and assembled a squad with a blend of youth and experience. Vicuña brought a brand of football to India, which was very similar to that commonly seen in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He believed in playing a possession-based game and incorporated build-up from the back, for which he used Baba Diawara at the front and supported by Joseba Beitia
Joseba Beitia Agirregomezcorta (born 29 September 1990) is a Spanish footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
In November 2020, Beitia signed with I-League club RoundGlass Punjab.
In November 2022, Beitia was part of Rajast ...
with Nongdamba Naorem
Naorem Nongdamba Singh (born 2 January 2000) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club Jamshedpur FC. He also represented India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017.
Club career Youth and early car ...
and V.P. Suhair running down the flanks. The midfield was dictated by Fran González while the defense was held by the strong pair of Daneil Cyrus and Fran Morante
Francisco Morante Martínez (born 28 June 1992) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Spanish club Linares Deportivo
Linares Deportivo () is a Spanish football team based in Linares, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 2009 a ...
. With record 14 matches unbeaten run, Mohun Bagan sealed their second I-League title and fifth national league title on their 16th matchday with a 1–0 win over Aizawl
Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...
at the 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 ...
. With four matches still to be played, 2019–20 season was terminated by the AIFF due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
During this period, the organizers of ISL, as well as the club management, made efforts to include Mohun Bagan along with East Bengal in the league, and to which the football brand of the club was merged with the ownership corporation of ATK led by Dr. Sanjiv Goenka in January 2020, that allowed Mohun Bagan to play in the ISL, which was promoted as the top-tier league, along with I-League, in 2017–18. On 16 January 2020, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, 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 ...
and Utsav Parekh, jointly bought an 80% share of Mohun Bagan's football division and the branding and footballing rights of Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Pvt. Ltd., was transferred to the new merged company, who would field a football team under the name of ''ATK Mohun Bagan
ATK Mohun Bagan FC () is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competes in Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club, which was formed as a merger between the football section of m ...
''. The new corporate entity was launched on 10 July after a month of delay due to the pandemic and participated under the IFA registration of Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Crest
The club's current crest is circular and consists of a sailing country boat painted in green and maroon colors. The boat perhaps signifies the club's place of establishment; northern 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 ...
, on the banks of the Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
. The city was the capital during the later 19th century and a prime trade center of British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, and the primary mode of transportation was through the waterways.
The initial crest of the club, however, consisted of the picture of a Royal Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna.
The tiger is estimated to have been present i ...
amidst a dense jungle, probably indicating the famous mangrove forests of Bengal, the Sundarbans
Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly R ...
.
The club crest is used for all sporting activities other than the football division of the club. However, since gaining professional status at the start 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 ...
era in Indian Football, the crest of the football division of the club has changed ''mutatis mutandis
''Mutatis mutandis'' is a Medieval Latin phrase meaning "with things changed that should be changed" or "once the necessary changes have been made". It remains unnaturalized in English and is therefore usually italicized in writing. It is used i ...
'' from time to time due to change of stakeholders, all the while keeping the Green and Maroon sailboat a constant.
Stadiums
Mohun Bagan Ground
The Mohun Bagan Ground is a football stadium located in the maidan
Maidan is an originally Persian word for a town square or public gathering place, adopted by various other languages: Urdu (''maidān''); Arabic (''maydān''); Turkish ; Bangla ময়দান, meaning field, and Crimean Tatar, from which ...
region of central 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 ...
, just opposite 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 ...
. The stadium is operated by Mohun Bagan who currently use the stadium as a training ground, although in 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
the ground had been used for a few of their 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 ...
matches as well. The office and club tent is adjacent to the stadium.
This ground is mainly used for 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 ...
matches. The stadium has galleries on three sides and a rampart on the fourth side. The north side, a contemporary gallery of the stadium, having bucket seats installed, is for the members.
In 1977 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 ...
became the first club in Maidan
Maidan is an originally Persian word for a town square or public gathering place, adopted by various other languages: Urdu (''maidān''); Arabic (''maydān''); Turkish ; Bangla ময়দান, meaning field, and Crimean Tatar, from which ...
to have floodlights installed in their stadium. The floodlights operated till the mid-1990s, after which they were renovated and inaugurated on 25 February 2016 with an 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 ...
match between Mohun Bagan U19s and DSK-Liverpool Academy.
Supporters
The fans, known as ''Mariners,'' have the reputation of being very loyal and respectful of the club, whom they often consider to be a mother-like figure in their lives. They have had the distinction of the highest attendance during the club's tenure in 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 ...
. There are several fan clubs dedicated to Mohun Bagan in different parts 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 ...
. Mohun Bagan had the highest average attendance with an average home crowd of 17,068 in the 2013–14 season, as per the AIFF
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File ...
reports. In the 2014-15 I-League season, their vocal support in away matches in Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
, 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 Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
was arguably unseen in Indian football until then.
In 2015 an all-female supporters' group called ''Lady Mariners,'' was established. The group became India's first all-female football supporter's club.
Around 2016, 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 ...
of Mariners, called ''Mariners' Base Camp'', was formed with its various wings spread all around 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 ...
, to revolutionize the Indian football fan movement through tifo
Tifo () is the phenomenon whereby tifosi of a sports team makes a visual display of any choreographed flag, sign or banner in the stands of a stadium, mostly as part of an association football match.
Tifos are most commonly seen in important m ...
s, chant
A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...
s, slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...
s and pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...
.
A premium fanbase of Mohun Bagan across entire Bengal is called ''Mariners of Bengal''. The members of the fanbase are scattered across different areas of Bengal. And they are each promoting Mohun Bagan in their area.
''The Economic Times
''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...
'', a leading Indian newspaper, reported that the club had an average attendance of over 35,000 in their home matches, possibly an 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 ...
record. Over 21,000 attended the league decider of the 2014-15 I-League between Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...
in Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, of this ''".. over 8,000 were away fans, traveling from as far as 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 ...
, 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 Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
to watch the game"'', noted Sunando Dhar, chief executive officer of 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 ...
in the same article. Their grand reception when, by some estimates, over 200,000 fans gathered to greet the 2014-15 I-League clinching squad (on their way back to 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 ...
from Bengaluru) has been dubbed as ''"legendary"'', ''"unparalleled"'' and ''"surreal"'' by the press as well as football historians.
Mohun Bagan fans have also provided financial help to the club during times of struggle. In the early 2000s, a Mohun Bagan fan mortgaged his house to raise funds for signing Brazilian superstar Jose Ramirez Barreto
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galile ...
. In 2013 another fan donated his entire monthly salary to the club.
Crazy and passionate football fans, Pannalal and Chaitali Chatterjee, who traveled abroad to 10 FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
s to represent India's footballing passion, had once said, ''“You can cut open my wrist
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the Carpal bones, carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known ...
. You will see Mohun Bagan running in my vein
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...
s, and nothing will ever change that.” ''
On 29 July 2020 (Mohun Bagan Day), Marines abroad took an initiative to feature the club on the billboards of NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
at Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, in order to celebrate the occasion during the times of pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
when all the fans in India were under a lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
. This made Mohun Bagan the first ever Indian sports entity to be featured on the NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
billboards at Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
. FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
posted about this moment on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.
Celebrity Mohun Bagan fans include Hemendra Kumar Ray
Hemendra Kumar Roy (2 September 1888 – 18 April 1963) was an Indian Bengali language, Bengali writer noted for his contribution to the early development of the genre of children's literature in the language. He was a noted contributor to the e ...
, Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhen ...
, Jyoti Basu, R. D. Burman
Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...
, 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 ...
, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
, Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, Screenwriter, script writer, composer, and sing ...
, Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of three ...
, and many more.
Rivalry
Mohun Bagan's biggest rivalry is with city rivals 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 ...
and is popularly known as 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 ...
. Mohun Bagan also had an intense rivalry with Mohammedan SC but the importance of this match has fizzled out in the past two decades because the teams only meet once a year in 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 ...
.
Kolkata Derby
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 ...
or the ''Boro Match'' is a football match between Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan
ATK Mohun Bagan FC () is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competes in Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club, which was formed as a merger between the football section of m ...
) and 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 ...
.
Till 29 October 2022, 383 matches have been played between the two teams out of which Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) has won 126 matches and East Bengal have won 132 times (including all competitive matches and exhibition games) and rest of the matches ended in draws.
The first match between the sides was played on 8 August 1921 in the Coochbehar Cup, and the semifinal match ended in a 0–0 draw. Mohun Bagan won the replayed semifinal 3–0. Rabi Ganguly scored the first-ever derby goal in that match, and the other two goals were scored by Poltu Dasgupta and Abhilash Ghosh.
The first CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
match between the sides was played on 28 May 1925 in CFL, where East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 1–0. Mohun Bagan holds the record of scoring the fastest goal in a derby (24 July 1976, a 17-second goal from Md Akbar of Mohun Bagan). They have the record of winning two consecutive derbies on two successive days (7 and 8 August 1935) and had the unique distinction of losing only one derby in 7 years (1933 to 1939).
A few notable victories include the Darbhanga Shield match on 5 September 1934, when Bagan won 4–1 (Amiyo Deb scored all four goals, the only time a player scored four goals in this derby), and a 5–3 win in an 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 ...
encounter on 25 October 2009 (Chidi Edeh
Chidi Edeh (born 18 August 1987) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker. He played most of his career for clubs in India.
Career Dempo
In 2007, Edeh signed with I-League side Dempo SC and appeared in 15 league matches. H ...
scored four goals). They have won several derbies scoring four goals against East Bengal. One such instance was in Raja Memorial Shield final played on 6 August 1937 at the common ground of both the clubs (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater stadium, all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekan ...
), where Bagan beat East Bengal 4–0 and Asit Ganguly scored three goals in that match.
Ownership and finances
Mohun Bagan AC is registered as a society under 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 ...
and West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
The West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961 is an Act of Parliament#India, Act of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, of West Bengal state in India. The Act was passed by the West Bengal Legislature. It was an act to provide for the regis ...
. Unlike many other top sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
s in the country which are limited companies
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 ...
, it is not possible to purchase shares in the club, but only membership. The registered members forms the ''Mohun Bagan Society'', which takes part in the general elections for the appointment for various posts. The club is governed by its own "''constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
''". Amendment 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. They ...
s and resolutions are passed via annual general meetings.
However, the football department was registered as a private limited company
A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United Sta ...
in 1998 after a joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
with 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 ...
. Presently, KGSPL own the 80% share of football entity and consortium known as ATK Mohun Bagan Private Limited. RPSG Group
RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (also known as RPSG Group) is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Kolkata. It was founded by Sanjiv Goenka, the younger son of R. P. Goenka, Rama Prasad ...
founder Sanjiv Goenka
Sanjiv Goenka (born 29 January 1961) is an Indian entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of RPSG Group and an early-stage investor. With a US$6 billion asset base and US$4.3 billion revenue, this multinational conglomerate is headquarter ...
is the principal owner of the organization while former Indian cricketer 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 ...
and businessman Utsav Parekh are co-owners. They own 80% of the shares while Mohun Bagan Athletic Club also acts a co-owner, owning 20% of the organization.
Notable players
The eleven players of the 1911 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 ...
winning team are often regarded as the ''Amar Ekadash'' ().
Top scorers in NFL/I-League
Top scorers in Calcutta Football League
''Note:'' Only players with more than 50 goals have been listed below.
Mohun Bagan Day
On 10 July 1911, Mohun Bagan had begun their third 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 ...
campaign. The tournament continued for the next 19 days, with Mohun Bagan eventually becoming the champions by defeating the East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
team. Thus, for the first time, a native club defeated the British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and the British-Indian teams in a football tournament.
Since 2001, July 29 is celebrated as 'Mohun Bagan Day' in honor of the club's victory over East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
in the 1911 IFA Shield Final.
Campaign
----
----
----
Mohun Bagan Ratna
Mohun Bagan Ratna is an award presented each year on Mohun Bagan Day to outstanding former players, irrespective of the sports played. The first recipient was former captain Sailen Manna
Sailendra Nath Manna ( bn, শৈলেন মান্না; 1 September 1924 – 27 February 2012), known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956. Predominantly p ...
.
Current board
{, class="wikitable"
, -
!style="background:#1A5026; color:white; text-align:center;", Office
!style="background:#7A1024; color:white; text-align:center;", Name
, -
, President
, Swapan Sadhan Bose
Swapan Sadhan Bose, also known as Tutu Bose (born 23 January 1948), is an Indian politician from All India Trinamool Congress who was a Member of the Parliament of India representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parli ...
, -
, rowspan="5", Vice president
, Moloy Ghatak
Moloy Ghatak is an Indian politician currently serving as Cabinet Minister in Government of West Bengal.
Politics
He is an MLA of All India Trinamool Congress, elected from the Asansol Uttar constituency of Paschim Bardhaman district in ...
, -
, Arup Roy
Arup Roy is an Indian politician. He was a cabinet Minister in Charge for Co-operations department, of Government of West Bengal since May 20, 2011. He was also an MLA, elected from the Howrah Madhya constituency in the 2011 West Bengal state ...
, -
, Kunal Ghosh
Kunal Ghosh (''Kunal Kumar Ghosh'' engali: কুণাল কুমার ঘোষ born 20 June 1968) is an Indian journalist and politician. He is a member of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and a former member of the Parliament o ...
, -
, Asit Chatterjee
, -
, Sohini Mitra
, -
, General Secretary
, Debasish Dutta
, -
, Assistant Secretary
, Satyajit Chatterjee
Satyajit Chatterjee is an Indian former footballer and coach, who captained Mohun Bagan and represented India internationally. He is currently the assistant general secretary of Mohun Bagan AC.
He was born in Bally in the Howrah district of W ...
, -
, Treasurer
, Uttam Kumar Saha
, -
, Finance secretary
, Mukul Singha
, -
, Football secretary
, Swapan Banerjee
, -
, Cricket secretary
, Mahesh Kumar Tekriwal
, -
, Hockey secretary
, Subhasish Pal
, -
, Tennis secretary
, Sandipan Banerjee
, -
, Ground secretary
, Pintu Biswas
, -
, Athletics secretary
, Debashish Mitra
, -
, Youth football secretary
, Manas Bhattacharya
, -
Season overview
The club's competitive record since the inception of the first national-level league until 2020 is listed below.
{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; width:90%; text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Season
! colspan="8" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", National Football League / I-League
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Domestic Cup
(various)
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Asian club competition
! rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Calcutta Premier Division
! rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Other major honours
, -
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;",
, -
, align=left, 1996–97
, style="text-align:right;", 5th of 6 (First Phase) , , align="right" , 5, , align=1, , align=3, , align=1, , align=6, , align=5, , align=6
! rowspan="22" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Federation Cup
, Quarterfinalist
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
, Bordoloi Trophy
, -
, align=left, 1997–98
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st, , align=18, , align=9, , align=6, , align=2, , align=20, , align=10, , align=34
, Semifinalist
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, align=left, 1998–99
, align=4th, , align=20, , align=6, , align=9, , align=5, , align=19, , align=17, , align=27
, style="background:gold;", Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, 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 ...
, -
, align=left, 1999–00
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st, , align=22, , align=14, , align=5, , align=3, , align=36, , align=17, , align=47
,
, ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
, align="left" , Qualifying
round 2
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, 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 ...
, -
, align=left, 2000–01
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd, , align=22, , align=13, , align=6, , align=3, , align=40, , align=19, , align=45
,
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
, 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 ...
,
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 ...
, -
, align=left, 2001–02
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st, , align=22, , align=13, , align=5, , align=4, , align=31, , align=19, , align=44
, style=background:gold;, Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:#c96;", 3rd
, Bordoloi Trophy
, -
, align=left, 2002–03
, align=7th, , align=22, , align=9, , align=6, , align=7, , align=35, , align=25, , align=33
, Semifinalist
, ACL
, align="left" , Qualifying
round 4
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, All Airlines Gold Cup
The All Airlines Gold Cup was a domestic football tournament organised by the Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Be ...
, -
, align=left, 2003–04
, align=9th, , align=22, , align=6, , align=6, , align=10, , align=23, , align=24, , align=24
,
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, 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 ...
, -
, align=left, 2004–05
, align=8th, , align=22, , align=5, , align=8, , align=9, , align=16, , align=19, , align=23
, style="background:silver;" , Runners-up
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
, All Airlines Gold Cup
The All Airlines Gold Cup was a domestic football tournament organised by the Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Be ...
, -
, align=left, 2005–06
, style="text-align:right; background:#c96;", 3rd, , align=17, , align=8, , align=6, , align=3, , align=17, , align=10, , align=30
, Pre-quarterfinalists
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, All Airlines Gold Cup
The All Airlines Gold Cup was a domestic football tournament organised by the Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Be ...
, -
, align=left, 2006–07
, align=8th, , align=18, , align=5, , align=6, , align=7, , align=15, , align=21, , align=21
, style=background:gold; , Winners
, 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 ...
, align="left" , Group Stage
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
, 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 ...
, -
, align=left, 2007–08
, align=4th, , align=18, , align=8, , align=6, , align=4, , align=22, , align=17, , align=30
, Semifinalist
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
,
, -
, align=left, 2008–09
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd, , align=22, , align=13, , align=4, , align=5, , align=30, , align=20, , align=43
, style=background:gold;, Winners
, 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 ...
, align="left" , Group Stage
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
, 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 ...
, -
, align=left, 2009–10
, align=5th, , align=26, , align=10, , align=6, , align=10, , align=48, , align=43, , align=36
, Semifinalist
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, align=left, 2010–11
, align=6th, , align=26, , align=8, , align=10, , align=8, , align=34, , align=32, , align=34
, style="background:silver;" , Runners-up
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:#c96;", 3rd
,
, -
, align=left, 2011–12
, align=4th, , align=26, , align=13, , align=8, , align=5, , align=51, , align=32, , align=47
, 4th of 4
( Final Group Phase)
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
, All Airlines Gold Cup
The All Airlines Gold Cup was a domestic football tournament organised by the Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Be ...
, -
, align=left, 2012–13
, align=10th, , align=26, , align=11, , align=8, , align=7, , align=40, , align=34, , align=29
, 2nd of 4
( Final group phase)
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, align=left, 2013–14
, align=8th, , align=24, , align=6, , align=10, , align=8, , align=23, , align=24, , align=28
, Semifinals
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, align=left, 2014–15
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st, , align=20, , align=11, , align=6, , align=3, , align=33, , align=16, , align=39
, 3rd of 5
(Group Stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...
)
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, rowspan="2" align="left" , 2015–16
, rowspan="2" style="text-align:right; background:silver;" , 2nd, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 16, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 8, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 6, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 2, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 32, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 16, , rowspan="2" align="right" , 30
, rowspan="2" style="background:gold;" , Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
,
, align="left" , Qualifying round 2
, rowspan="2" style="text-align:right; background:#c96;" , 3rd
, rowspan="2" ,
, -
,
, align=left, Round of 16
, -
, align="left" , 2016–17
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;" , 2nd, , align="right" , 18, , align="right" , 10, , align="right" , 6, , align="right" , 2, , align="right" , 27, , align="right" , 12, , align="right" , 36
, style="background:silver;" , Runners-up
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
, 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 ...
, align="left" , Group Stage
, style="text-align:right; background:#c96;" , 3rd
,
, -
, align=left, 2017–18
, style="text-align:right; background:#c96;", 3rd, , align=18, , align=8, , align=7, , align=3, , align=28, , align=14, , align=31
! rowspan="2" style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Super Cup
, Semifinals
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
, -
, align=left, 2018–19
, align=5th, , align=20, , align=8, , align=5, , align=7, , align=27, , align=28, , align=29
, Pre-quarterfinals
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st
,
, -
, align=left, 2019–20
, style="text-align:right; background:gold;", 1st, , align=11, , align=12, , align=3, , align=1, , align=35, , align=13, , align=39
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Durand Cup
, style="background:silver;", Runners-up
,
,
, style="text-align:right; background:silver;", 2nd
,
Honours
Major titles
''Note:'' The following honours are only the AIFF
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File ...
certified titles that Mohun Bagan have won until the 2020 merger.
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
!style="width: 5%;background:#1A5026; color:white; text-align:center;", Competition
!style="width: 1%;background:#7A1024; color:white; text-align:center;", No.
!style="width: 15%;background:#1A5026; color:white; text-align:center;", Seasons
, -
, ''NFL'' / 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 ...
, bgcolor="#DCE5E5", 5
, style="text-align:left;", 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2014–15, 2019–20
, -
, ''Federation Cup''
, bgcolor="#DCE5E5", 14
, style="text-align:left;", 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, 2015–16
, -
, 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 ...
, bgcolor="#DCE5E5", 16
, style="text-align:left;", 1953, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1994, 2000
, -
, 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 ...
, 21
, style="text-align:left;", 1911, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2003
, -
, ''Indian Super Cup''
, 2
, style="text-align:left;", 2007, 2009
, -
, ''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 ...
''
, bgcolor="#DCE5E5", 14
, style="text-align:left;", 1955, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2000
, -
, 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 ...
, 30
, style="text-align:left;", 1939, 1943, 1944, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, -
, colspan="4" style="text-align:left;", Bolded denotes that the tournament is an active national competition.
''Italicised'' denotes that the tournament is discontinued.
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 (the highest civilian honour in 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 ...
given by the Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...
)
Performance in AFC competitions
{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; width:90%; text-align:center;"
, -
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Season
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Competition
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Round
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Club
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", 1st Leg
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", 2nd Leg
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Agg.
! style="background:Green; color:Maroon;", Highest Scorer
, -
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , 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 competition ...
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , Qualifying round
, style="text-align:left" , Al-Rasheed SC
Al-Rasheed Sports Club ( ar, نادي الرشيد الرياضي) was an Iraqi sports club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Its professional football team played in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of the Iraqi football, from 1984 until 1990. ...
, rowspan="4" ,
, rowspan="4" ,
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" , 0–2
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , Sisir Ghosh
(6 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Manang Marshyangdi Club
Manang Marshyangdi Club ( ne, मनाङ मर्स्याङ्दी क्लब) is a Nepali professional football club based in Kathmandu, that competes in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. The club is record champion of Nepale ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 6–1
, -
, style="text-align:left" , PAF FC
Pakistan Air Force Football Club, commonly known as PAF FC, is a Pakistani professional football club based in Islamabad. It represents the Pakistan Air Force. The club won the National Challenge Cup, after defeating WAPDA 2–1 in the finals o ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 4–1
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Mohammedan SC
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 2–2
, -
, rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" , 1988–89
, rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" , 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 competition ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Qualifying round
, style="text-align:left" , Crescent Textile FC
, rowspan="6" ,
, rowspan="6" ,
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 8–0
, rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" , Sisir Ghosh
(5 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Kathmandu SC
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 4–2
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Fanja SC
Fanja Sports Club ( ar, نادي فنجاء الرياضي; also known locally as ''Al-Malik'', or "The King" because of their great success, or just plainly as Fanja) is an Omani sports club based in Fanja, Oman. The club is currently playing i ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 1–0
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Semi-final round
, style="text-align:left" , Kazma SC
Kazma Sporting Club ( ar, نادي كاظمة الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional association football club. Founded in 1964, the club competes in the Kuwaiti Premier League.
Club history
Naming
The club is named after the area of Kathma. ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" , 1–0
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Guangdong Hongyuan FC
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" , 6–0
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Al-Rasheed SC
Al-Rasheed Sports Club ( ar, نادي الرشيد الرياضي) was an Iraqi sports club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Its professional football team played in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of the Iraqi football, from 1984 until 1990. ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" , 2–0
, -
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , 1990–91
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , Asian Cup Winners' Cup
The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , First round
, style="text-align:left" , Dalian Shide FC
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 4–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" , 5–0
, style="text-align:center" , —
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 1994–95
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 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 competition ...
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , Preliminary round
, style="text-align:left" , 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 ...
, rowspan="2" ,
, rowspan="2" ,
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 7–1
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Tausif Jamal
(4 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Ratnam SC
Ratnam SC is a Sri Lankan professional association football, football club based in Colombo, that competes in the Sri Lanka Champions League, the top flight of Football in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan football. The club was founded in 1950.
The team in ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 5–1
, -
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , Second round
, style="text-align:left" , Thai Farmers Bank FC
Thai Farmers Bank Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลธนาคารกสิกรไทย) was a Thai football club based in Bangkok and was owned by Thai Farmers Bank. They won two AFC Champions League titles in 1994 a ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–4
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 3–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 7–0
, -
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , 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 competition ...
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , First round
, style="text-align:left" , 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 ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 2–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 1–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 2–2
( a)
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , Manoharan, Satyabrata Bhowmik
(1 goal each)
, -
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , 1999–00
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , 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 competition ...
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , First round
, style="text-align:left" , Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC ( bn, মুক্তিযোদ্ধা সংসদ ক্রীড়া চক্র) is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club is nicknamed The Freedom Fighters. It competes i ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 2–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 0–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 2–1
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , Chima Okorie
Chima Ephraim Okorie (born 8 October 1968 in Izomber, Abia State) is a Nigerian former professional football striker who was renowned for his goalscoring prowess in the Indian leagues. He went on to score 131 goals for East Bengal in three ...
, Dipendu Biswas
(1 goal each)
, -
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , Second round
, style="text-align:left" , Júbilo Iwata
is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 8–0
,
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 8–0
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 2002–03
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , AFC Champions League
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 competition ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Qualifying stage
, style="text-align:left" , Saunders SC
Saunders SC is a Sri Lankan professional football club based in the Pettah district of Colombo. It is currently playing in the Sri Lanka Champions League.
Achievements
*Sri Lankan Premier League: 12
**Winner: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 0–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 5–1
, rowspan="3" ,
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Baichung Bhutia
Bhaichung Bhutia (born 15 December 1976), also spelled as Baichung Bhutia, is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often ...
(4 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , 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 ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 2–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 0–3
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Daejeon Hana Citizen
Daejeon Hana Citizen Football Club (Korean 대전 하나 시티즌 축구단) is a South Korean professional football team based in Daejeon that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. At the time of its foundation in 199 ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 6–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 1–2
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 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 ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 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 ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Group stage
, style="text-align:left" , Tampines Rovers FC
Tampines Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945, the club have won the national league ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 0–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 2–0
, rowspan="3" ,
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Lalawmpuia Pachuau
Lalawmpuia Pachuau is an Indian soccer, football who plays for South United F.C., South United in the I-League 2nd Division as a forward (association football), forward. Lalawmpuia Pachuau is a product of the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpu ...
(2 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Osotspa Samut Prakan FC
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 1–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 0–0
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Pahang FC
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 1–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 2–0
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , 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 ...
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Group Stage
, style="text-align:left" , Al-Karamah SC
Al-Karamah SC ( ar, نادي الكرامة الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in the city of Homs. Founded in 1928, it is considered to be one of Asia's oldest sporting clubs. The club has won eight Syrian League titl ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 1–0
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–4
, rowspan="3" ,
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Rakesh Masih
Rakesh Masih (born 18 March 1987) is an Indian football player who currently plays for Tollygunge Agragami in the Calcutta Football League.
Career
Masih spent four years at the Tata Football Academy and was regarded as one of the best cadets o ...
(1 goal)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Al-Wehdat SC
Al-Wehdat Sport Club ( ar, نادي الوحدات الرياضي}) is a Jordanian sport club founded in 1956. The club is based in and represents the Amman New Camp, a Palestinian refugee camp which is also known as Al-Wehdat. Al-Wehdat's home ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 1–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 5–0
, -
, style="text-align:left" , 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 ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 6–0
, -
, rowspan=7 style="text-align:center" , 2016
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , AFC Champions League
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 competition ...
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , Qualifying stage
, style="text-align:left" , Tampines Rovers FC
Tampines Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945, the club have won the national league ...
, rowspan="2" ,
, rowspan="2" ,
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 3–1
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , Cornell Glen
Cornelius "Cornell" Glen CM (born 21 October 1981) is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Glen began his professional career in 1999 with Trinidadian club FUTGOF. After two years with FUTGOF, Gle ...
, Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua Fanai (born 7 January 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker, and last appeared with Indian Super League club East Bengal. Between 2011 and 2019, he scored 23 goals in 56 international matches represe ...
, Katsumi Yusa
is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fukushima United.
Career Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yusa debuted for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a 2-2 home draw against Gamba Osaka in the 2007 J1 League on 1 December. Yusa also m ...
(1 goal each)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Shandong Taishan FC
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–6
, -
, rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" , 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 ...
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , Group stage
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Maziya S&RC
Maziya Sports and Recreation Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. They compete in the Dhivehi Premier League, the country's top division. The club was formed in 1996 and was promoted to the first division for the first ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 5–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 1–1
, rowspan="3" ,
, rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" , Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua Fanai (born 7 January 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker, and last appeared with Indian Super League club East Bengal. Between 2011 and 2019, he scored 23 goals in 56 international matches represe ...
(6 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , South China AA
South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional football club that competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is histori ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 0–4
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–3
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Yangon United FC
Yangon United Football Club ( my, ရန်ကုန် ယူနိုက်တက် ဘောလုံးအသင်း ) is a Burmese football club, based at Yangon United Sports Complex, in Yangon, Myanmar. Owned by Tay Za, a prominent Bur ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 3–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 1–1
, -
, rowspan=1 style="text-align:center" , Round of 16
, style="text-align:left" , Tampines Rovers FC
Tampines Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945, the club have won the national league ...
,
,
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 1–2
, -
, rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" , 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" , 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 ...
, -
, rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" , Qualifying stage
, style="text-align:left" , Colombo FC
Colombo Football Club, or Colombo FC, is a professional football club based in Colombo, that competes in the Sri Lanka Champions League, the top flight of Sri Lankan football.
They are 3-time winners of the prestigious Dialog Champions League ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 1–2
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 2–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 4–2
, rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" , Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua Fanai (born 7 January 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker, and last appeared with Indian Super League club East Bengal. Between 2011 and 2019, he scored 23 goals in 56 international matches represe ...
(4 goals)
, -
, style="text-align:left" , 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 ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 1–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 4–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 5–2
, -
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" , Group stage
, style="text-align:left" , Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 2–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 3–1
, rowspan="3" ,
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Abahani Limited Dhaka
Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional Association football, football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Ban ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#CCFFCC;", 3–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC;", 1–1
, -
, style="text-align:left" , Maziya S&RC
Maziya Sports and Recreation Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. They compete in the Dhivehi Premier League, the country's top division. The club was formed in 1996 and was promoted to the first division for the first ...
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 0–1
, style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;", 5–2
Filmography
* Arun Roy, '' এগারো: The Immortal Eleven'' (), 2011
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
* Club of Pioneers
The Club of Pioneers is a worldwide network of the oldest continuing association football clubs from each country.
The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the first and oldest association football
Association football, mor ...
* Oldest football clubs
The oldest football clubs trace their origins to the mid-19th century, a period when football evolved from being a casual pastime to an organised mainstream sport.
The identity of the oldest football clubs in the world, or even in a particular ...
* ATK Mohun Bagan FC
ATK Mohun Bagan FC () is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competes in Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club, which was formed as a merger between the football section of m ...
* Mohun Bagan A.C. (cricket)
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional cricket club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It participates in various tournaments of varying age groups conducted by the Cricket Association of Bengal. The date of foundation of the cricket ...
* Mohun Bagan A.C. (youth)
Mohun Bagan youth teams are the age group football teams of Indian professional multi-sports club Mohun Bagan. The U-21 and the reserve teams are generally referred to as last stage of progression for promotion of youth players into the first ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Association football clubs established in 1889
I-League clubs
Football clubs in Kolkata
1889 establishments in British India
ATK Mohun Bagan FC
Sports clubs in India
Multi-sport clubs in India