Mohun Bagan Super Giant (commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan) is an Indian
association football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...
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, it is one of the oldest football clubs in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
. The club competes in the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
, the top tier of Indian football league system. The club is most notable for its victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield final. This victory made Mohun Bagan the first all-Indian club to win a championship over a British club 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 ...
.
The club is commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, and had several sponsored names. In 2020, the company that owned ATK, took an 80% stake in the football division of Mohun Bagan. The footballing division of Mohun Bagan was merged with ATK and was renamed as ATK Mohun Bagan FC. In 2023, the team was rebranded as Mohun Bagan Super Giant after continuous protest from the fans.
Till now the club has won the top-flight football league a record six times
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 ...
thrice,
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 and Indian Super League once. They are one of the most successful Indian clubs 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 (17 times), the IFA Shield (22 times), the Rovers Cup (14 times) and the Calcutta Football League (30 times).
The club annually contests in Asia's oldest rivalry, the Kolkata Derby, against its long-time local rival
East Bengal FC
East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top fl ...
, with the first derby match being played on 8 August 1921. Mohun Bagan was one of the founding members of National Football League in 1996, and has never been relegated from the top-tier league of the country. In its 130th year of existence, the club 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.
History
Early years (1889–99)
Mohun Bagan was established on 15th August 1889.
Bhupendra Nath Bose
Bhupendra Nath Bose (13 January 1859 – 13 September 1924) was an Indian politician and President of the Indian National Congress in 1914.
Life and works
Bose was born in Radhanagar, West Bengal in 1859. He graduated from the Presidency Coll ...
became the first president of the newly founded club and Jyotindra Nath Bose was the first secretary of it. Mohun Bagan played their first match in 1889 against the team of Eden Hindu Hostel 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. 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 himself.
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 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.
The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...
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, where they defeated the reigning IFA Shield champions Dalhousie 6–1, with
Shibdas Bhaduri
Shibdas Bhaduri (1887–1932) was an Indian professional footballer who captained Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield final, where they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment with a score of 2–1 to become the first Indian team to win the ...
scoring four goals. Maharaja Rajendra Bhup Bahadur of Coochbehar, 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 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, 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
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 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
Shibdas Bhaduri (1887–1932) was an Indian professional footballer who captained Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield final, where they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment with a score of 2–1 to become the first Indian team to win the ...
. They battled out against the professionally equipped teams of
St. Xavier's College
A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...
, Calcutta Rangers Club,
Rifle Brigade
The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...
and Middlesex Regiment 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 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
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
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
''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muham ...
went to the streets to celebrate and the Muslims from Dharmatala 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. 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
Gostha Behari Pal (20 August 1896 – 8 April 1976) was an Indian footballer who played as a defender. He was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 1930s. Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal is r ...
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.
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. 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 ...
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 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, 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 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)
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
Syed Abdus Samad (1942 – 28 July 2021) was a teacher of economics. He was a faculty member at the University of Dhaka, Boston State College, Boston University, the University of the South Pacific, and the Hankuk University of Foreign Studie ...
. 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
A road game or away game is a sports game where the specified team is not the host and must travel to another venue. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions. Each team ...
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 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 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
The Cooperage Football Ground is a football stadium located in Nariman Point, Mumbai, India. It is currently home to multiple Mumbai Football League clubs.
The Western India Football Association has operated from the Cooperage Ground since 1969 ...
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)
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 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 MinisterDr. 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 ...
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
In Indian football, Pancha Pandavas () or VADAS, refers to the East Bengal penta-forward-line consisting of Ahmed Khan, Appa Rao, P. Venkatesh, P.B.A. Saleh and K. P. Dhanraj, who played together for the club from 1949 to 1953. During the Pa ...
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.
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, 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 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
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...
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 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: ...
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 hi ...
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
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
, which was organized solely by the assistant secretary of the club Dhiren Dey.Mariappa Kempaiah, 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. 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 ...
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 ...
. 1964 saw Mohun Bagan celebrate its platinum jubilee 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 ...
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, ...
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. 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 ...
Bob Hewitt
Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15 major titles and a career Grand Slam in both men' ...
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, 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. Pungam Kannan and
Sukalyan Ghosh Dastidar
Sukalyan Ghosh Dastidar (born 1947) was an Indian professional footballer from Jalpaiguri, who played as a striker for the India national football team, alongside Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He also represented Bengal in Santosh Trophy.
He rep ...
, 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 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
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
in the Shield final.
Decline and revival under P. K. Banerjee (1970s)
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 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, an indomitable defender,
Prasun Banerjee
Prasun Banerjee is an Indian former professional footballer and politician who is serving as an MP in the Lok Sabha from Howrah. He is an Arjuna Award winner (1979). Younger brother of the Pradip Kumar Banerjee, Prasun had also captained the ...
, 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
Mohammed Habib ( ar, محمد حبيب) was a Deputy General Guide and the second-in-command of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. He was expected to be the next leader of the organization after former leader, Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef, ann ...
, his brother Mohammed Akbar and
Subhash Bhowmick
Subhash Bhowmick (2 October 1950 – 22 January 2022) was an Indian football player and manager. During his playing career, he represented the "Big Two" of Kolkata football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He also represented India in various in ...
. 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
The Bordoloi Trophy, also known as the Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, is a premier annual Indian football tournament held in Guwahati and organized by Guwahati Sports Association (GSA). The tournament was first started in 1952 ...
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 Go ...
. 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, who were affectionately called ''"Indian Beckenbauer"'' for his snatching abilities in the midfield, also joined Mohun Bagan in the following year. Shibaji Banerjee 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
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 taken 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 and Khoren Oganesian. 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 multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...
.
In 1981 Mohun Bagan won their first standalone Federation Cup after beating Mohammedan by 2–0 with goals from Ulaganathan and off the bench
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. ...
, 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
Krishnendu Roy is an Indian football defender who represented India in the 1984 Asian Cup. He also played for Mohun Bagan.
Honours
India
* South Asian Games Gold medal: 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Ye ...
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,
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 Ind ...
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, Aloke Mukherjee 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
The 1987 Asian Club Championship was the 7th edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation. Several Asian clubs started the qualifying round in Fall of 1987.
Yomiuri FC (Japan) became the second Jap ...
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 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 gro ...
. 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 Worl ...
. 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, 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 ...
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 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 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
Syed Nayeemuddin (born 1944), known as Nayeem, is an Indian football coach and former player. He played for and was captain of the Indian national teamCroatian 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 tournament ...
. 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
The 1993–94 Asian Club Championship was the 13th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the AFC region (Asia). It determined that year's club champion of association football in Asia.
Thai Farmers Bank FC from ...
, Mohun Bagan easily thumped Club Valencia 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 and 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, 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 after Dutta left midway due to internal strife with the club officials. Players like Okorie,
Dipendu Biswas
Dipendu Biswas (29 September 1981) is an Indian retired professional footballer, who is the current team manager of the I-League outfit Mohammedan Sporting Club.
Playing career
Biswas's father is from Bengal and mother is from Kerala, Thalas ...
, 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 acces ...
entity named ''United Mohun Bagan Private Limited''. For the first time the club was transformed into a corporate 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 ...
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
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
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, 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 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 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 ...
Sushil Kumar Singh
Chongtham Sushil Kumar Singh is an India football player. He is currently playing for NEROCA F.C. in Manipur's local statewide league.
Career
Mahindra United
Singh started his footballing career at Mahindra United in the I-League and scored ...
. 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
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, 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 as ...
, 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
**Ger ...
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 directl ...
. 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 KGSPL (2010–20)
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 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
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (born 6 June 1985) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who spent most of his career in India. He last played for Gokulam Kerala in the I-League. He was once the highest paid footballer in I-league history, earning a ...
from Churchill Brothers, with a record salary of 1.4 crores per year in 2011, Muritala Ali from Mahindra United 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
Subhash Bhowmick (2 October 1950 – 22 January 2022) was an Indian football player and manager. During his playing career, he represented the "Big Two" of Kolkata football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He also represented India in various in ...
and Karim Bencherifa, along with younger coaches like Stanley Rozario 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 youth c ...
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 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
Salgaocar Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Vasco, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. They have also played in the I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. Founded in 1956, the clu ...
. Before I-League started, Sen made numerous tactical changes and played in a
4–2–3–1
In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
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 ma ...
,
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 care ...
, while the goal was guarded by young Debjit Majumder. 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, 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 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 ...
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) Private Limited'' was registered as a legal entity on 31 July 2017. The new legal entity created was exclusively for all football activities of Mohun Bagan. 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 ...
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 care ...
, 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
Super Cup
A super cup is a competition, usually but not exclusively in association football, which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competitions during the prev ...
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, 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
José Antonio Vicuña Ochandorena (born 20 November 1971), commonly known as Kibu Vicuña, is a Spanish professional football manager. He is the current manager of the club Diamond Harbour.
Coaching career Early career
After playing for the Uni ...
for the next season, and he gave the leadership duties to Dhanachandra Singh 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-tea ...
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 pla ...
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
Papa Babacar "Baba" Diawara (born 5 January 1988) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Club career Marítimo
Born in Dakar, Diawara started his career with Senegal Premier League club ASC Jeanne d'Arc, moving to Europ ...
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
Suhair Vadakkepeedika (born 27 July 1992), commonly known as VP Suhair, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club East Bengal and the India national team.
Early life
Suhair was born on 27 July ...
running down the flanks. The midfield was dictated by Fran González while the defense was held by the strong pair of
Daneil Cyrus
Daneil Nicholas Cyrus (born 15 December 1990) is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Trinidad and Tobago national team.
Professional
Cyrus was born in Plymouth, Trinidad and Tobago. He was waived by Sportin ...
and Fran Morante. 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 managements themselves, made efforts to include Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the league. Accordingly, on 16 January 2020, ''Kolkata Games and Sports Private Limited'', owner of ATK led by
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 ...
entered into an ownership deal with ''Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Private Limited''. As a result, ATK merged with the football division of Mohun Bagan to form ''ATK Mohun Bagan Football Club Private Limited'', that rebranded the football division of Mohun Bagan as ''ATK Mohun Bagan FC''. ATK Mohun Bagan entered ISL as one of the expansion teams in the 2020–21 season.
Newfound dominance (2020–)
ATK Mohun Bagan started its debut ISL season with most of its players including five of the foreigners— Roy Krishna, David Williams,
Edu García
Eduardo "Edu" García Martín (; born 24 April 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder for China League One club Sichuan Jiuniu. He has played in a host of different countries, including China ...
Javi Hernández
Jowzar-e Javid ( fa, جوزارجاويد, also Romanized as Jowzār-e Jāvīd, Jow Zār Jāvīd, Jūzār-e Jāvīd, and Jūzār Jāvīd; also known as Jāveh, Jāvi, Jāvīd, and Jowzār) is a village in Jowzar Rural District, in the Central Distr ...
—and the coaching staff led by
Antonio López Habas
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
was retained under their old contracts with KGSPL owned ATK. They narrowly lost the ISL Premiership on the last matchday as well as the ISL Championship in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, both to Mumbai City, but became joint-most points earner in a single season. At the continental stage, ATK Mohun Bagan lost the inter-zone play-off semi-final to the Uzbek side Nasaf Qarshi by 6–0. The club made some of the biggest transfers of 2021 in Indian football that included,
Liston Colaco
Liston Colaço (born 12 November 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan SG and the India national team.
Club career
Born in Davorlim, Goa, Colaço is a product of Salgaoca ...
,
Hugo Boumous
Adnan Hugo Boumous (born 24 July 1995) is a French-Moroccan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan SG. He is known for his playmaking ability and link-up play. He had won golden ...
and
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
featuring
Joni Kauko
Joni Ensio Kauko (born 12 July 1990) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan and the Finland national team. Kauko was born in Turku, Finland where he played for the local yout ...
. On 19 December,
Juan Ferrando
Juan Ferrando Fenoll ( ca, Joan Ferrando; born 2 January 1981) is a Spanish professional football manager who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan.
Managerial career
After several injuries as a footballer, Fer ...
replaced Habas as the new head coach after some disappointing results. ATK Mohun Bagan matched
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
's 15 matches unbeaten streak in the league until they lost against Jameshedpur and finished 3rd in the league table. Among some of the eye-catching summer transfers the following season, ATK Mohun Bagan signed
Asish Rai
Asish Rai (born 27 January 1999) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan SG.
Club career
Early life and youth career
Rai was born in Pakyong, a small village in Sikkim. He a ...
, along with one of the foreign replacements as
Dimitri Petratos
Dimitrios Petratos (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan.
Petratos has played for four different A-League clubs, winning one championship with Bri ...
. The season formally began with consecutive disappointments in Durand Cup and then in inter-zone play-off semi-final against a
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
club
Kuala Lumpur City
Kuala is a town and administrative district of Langkat Regency in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It borders Selesai to the north, Salapian to the west, and Sei Bingai to the south and east. Most people in Kuala are Javanese people, with a signific ...
. The team had a considerably successful run in the league, finishing third and qualifying for the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
for the third time in a row. On 18 March, ATK Mohun Bagan became the ISL Champions for the first time after defeating
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 ...
in the penalties by 4–3. To commemorate the victory, ''"ATK"'' was removed, and the team was renamed as ''Mohun Bagan Super Giant'' after three years of consistent protests by the fans.
In May 2023, Lucknow Super Giants, a RPSG Group owned Indian Premier League franchise, sported a special Green-Maroon jersey in their away fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders to pay tribute to the century-old legacy of Mohun Bagan. On 3 July the club management hosted
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
Emiliano Martínez
Damián Emiliano Martínez (born 2 September 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest leve ...
and Mohun Bagan unveiled their new logo after their rebranding. For the preparations of the new season, the club appointed their former coach Habas as the
technical director
A technical director (TD) is usually a senior technical person within e.g. a software company, engineering firm, film studio, theatre company or television studio. This person usually has the highest level of skill within a specific technical f ...
to begin with. With the aims for a continental success, Mohun Bagan signed a number of big national as well as international names like Anwar Ali,
Anirudh Thapa
Anirudh Thapa (born 15 January 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Chennaiyin, which he captains, and the India national football team.
Club career
Early life and youth career
Th ...
,
Sahal Abdul Samad
Sahal Abdul Samad (born 1 April 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team.
Club career Early life and youth career
Sahal was born in ...
and the most popular of all –
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
pre-quarterfinalist
Jason Cummings
Jason Steven Cummings (born 1 August 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for A league Men club Central coast Mariners . Born in Scotland, he represents the Australia national team, after previously representing Scotland a ...
.
Club crest and kits
The club's 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 varied much due to the lack of any requirement for logo registration, hence any club could use any logo during any tournament. Initially the club crest consisted of the picture of a Royal Bengal tiger laying either amidst a dense jungle, probably indicating the famous Sundarbans, or simply a
palm tree
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
. The crest with the tiger lying under a palm tree was used during the famous 1911 IFA Shield. A similar logo was used by another
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 ...
based club Rajasthan Club, which incited confusions among the locals, henceforth, in 1920s the club came up with a new logo with the iconic sailing boat.
The club's crest is used for all sporting activities other than the football division of the club. The crest for the football division of the club has changed '' mutatis mutandis'' from time to time due to ownership changes, all the while retaining the signature Green and Maroon colours and the sailboat.
After the 2020 rebranding to ATK Mohun Bagan, for the first time the football team crest didn't mention the foundation year – ''1889'', which fueled the ongoing controversy over the ownership deal. Later, in 2023, when the football team undergo another rebrand, the new crest incorporated ''1889''.
Priyanath Mitra, the successor of one of the founding families' head Kirti Mitra, had the club's first
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
-
maroon
Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown".
According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...
jerseys stitched by a renowned European tailoring shop, Messrs. Rankin on Old Court House Street and since then the primary colours for the home
kit
Kit may refer to:
Places
*Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit
* Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province
* Kit Hill, Cornwall, England
People
* Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kit (surname)
Animals
* Young animals:
...
has ever been green and maroon. The patterns for the home kit had many variations including halves, stripes and diagonals. The away colours of the team is predominantly white with green-maroon imprints.
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
Note: ''In numerous seasons, the sponsors have varied according to the tournament the team participated in. The following list includes only the kit sponsors during the national league games.''
Stadiums
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
Mohun Bagan plays most of its home matches at
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...
, commonly called Salt Lake Stadium, located in the suburb of Kolkata in Bidhannagar. A
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
owned 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 ...
under Youth Affairs and Sports Department, the VYBK primarily hosts football matches, apart from occasional
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
events. The stadium was built in 1984, predominately for matches like Kolkata Derby that featured attendance too huge for the grounds 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 accommodate.
Before its renovation in 2011, it was the largest football stadium in the world, with a capacity of 120,000. Before the construction and opening of Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in 1989, it was the largest football stadium in the world. It is currently the fourth-largest sports stadium in Asia by capacity. The gigantic stadium features three tiers of concrete galleries with nine entry gates, including a VIP gate and 30 ramps for the spectators to reach the viewing blocks.
Mohun Bagan Ground
The Mohun Bagan Ground is a football stadium located in the Maidan region of central Kolkata, 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 uses it 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 ...
it had been used for a few of their I-League matches. The office and club tent is adjacent to the stadium.
This ground is mainly used for Calcutta Football League 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 match between Mohun Bagan U19s and DSK-Liverpool Academy. After coming in as the principal investor, KGSPL renovated the stadium in the lines of Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan with
artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...
and upgraded amenities so that it can be used for practice and home matches in Indian Super League and other big tournaments as and when required.
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. ...
.
''
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 ...
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. 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 ...
and got featured in one of the
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 ...
posts of
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 ...
.
The takeover of KGSPL of the football division of Mohun Bagan met with a harshly negative response from the Mariners, followed by numerous protests around the city, digitally and on the streets. The supporters believed that this takeover, which was popularly termed as ''"the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan"'' would become a mark of conclusion for their 'mother club' and its century-old legacy. Gradually as the air of doubts were cleared, the resentment thawed. However, most of the ultras continued to voice their demands with hard statements. Ultimately, the principal owner of the football team Sanjiv Goenka announced the removal of ''"ATK"'' from the team's name at the end of the season and renaming it as Mohun Bagan Super Giant officially on 1 June 2023.
Mohun Bagan had been backed by numerous celebrities among whom includes
Hemendra Kumar Ray
Hemendra Kumar Roy (2 September 1888 – 18 April 1963) was an Indian 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 early development o ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
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 FC
East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top fl ...
and is popularly known as the Kolkata Derby. Mohun Bagan also had an intense rivalry with Mohammedan SC but the importance of this match has fizzled out in the 21st century because the teams only meet once a year in the Calcutta Football League.
Till 25 February 2023, 384 matches have been played between the two teams out of which Mohun Bagan has won 127 matches and East Bengal FC 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 FC 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 Mohun 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 FC. 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 multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...
), where Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal FC 4–0 and Asit Ganguly scored three goals in that match.
Ownership
Presently, a consortium called ''RPSG Mohun Bagan Private Limited'', whose 80% shares are owned by ''Kolkata Games and Sports Private Limited'' and 20% shares by ''Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Private Limited'', controls the football department of Mohun Bagan.RPSG Group founder and chairman
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 consortium.
Management
Coaching staff
Players
First-team squad
Other players under contract
Top scorers in Tier 1 Indian League (NFL/I-League/ISL)
Top scorers in Calcutta Football League
''Note:'' Only senior team players with more than 50 goals have been listed below.
Notable players
The eleven players of the 1911 IFA Shield winning team are often regarded as the ''Amar Ekadash'' ().
Season overview
''Note:'' The club's competitive record only since 1996, when the first national-level league was incepted, is listed below.
Performance in AFC competitions
All stats as per Mohun Bagan official site
Honours
''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.
Mohun Bagan Day
On 10 July 1911, Mohun Bagan had begun their third IFA Shield campaign. The tournament continued for the next 19 days, with Mohun Bagan eventually becoming the champions by defeating the East Yorkshire Regiment team. Thus, for the first time, a native club defeated the British and the British-Indian teams in a football tournament.
Since 2001, 29 July is celebrated as ''Mohun Bagan Day'' in honor of the club's victory over East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield Final. To commemorate the day, the club organises an award distribution ceremony along with various festivities.
Mohun Bagan SG Reserves and Academy
Mohun Bagan SG Reserves and Academy is the reserve team and youth system of the Indian Super League side Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The U-21 and the reserve teams are generally referred to as last stage of progression for promotion of academy and ...
*
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 ...
*
Football in Kolkata
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is one of the fiercest in the world and is conside ...