Football in West Bengal

Association football is two most-popular sports in West Bengal, the others being Cricket.^[3][4] East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of West Bengal football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar.^[5] West Bengal is known to be the Mecca of Indian football,^[6][7] with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.^[8][9]

Football in West Bengal
Indian crowd during the match between FC Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan, May 27, 2008
Governing body	Indian Football Association (IFA) (formed in 1893)[1]
Audience records
Single match	131,781 (1997 Federation Cup Semifinal: East Bengal F.C. VS Mohun Bagan A.C. at Salt Lake Stadium, 1997)[2]

The IFA had organised many historical tournaments like the Trades Cup, the Gladstone Cup, the Cooch Behar Cup and the coveted IFA Shield, prior to the incorporation of Calcutta Football League in 1898. The Trades Cup is the oldest tournament in Kolkata, being instituted in 1889.^[10]

History

Through the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari (the father of Indian football), A.R. Brown and B.C. Lindsay of Dalhousie AC, and Watson of Calcutta FC, the IFA was established in 1893.^[11] A.R. Brown was the first Secretary of the IFA. Norman Prichard, the first Indian to win an Olympic medal, was the Secretary of the IFA in 1900.The most remarkable person to head the IFA was the Maharaja of Santosh, Sir M.N. Roy Chowdhury. During his tenure the IFA played an instrumental role in the formation of the AIFF.^[12]

Administration

Football in West Bengal is administered by the Indian Football Association^[13][14] It is the oldest football association in India and was founded in 1893.^[15][16] Among the founders was former English international Elphinstone Jackson.^[17]

State team

State teams of West Bengal
Football (Men's)	Football (Women's)

The West Bengal football team is governed by the Indian Football Association (IFA) and is a member of the All India Football Federation (AFC) since 1937, the national governing body for indian football. There are other West Bengal football team for women's also.

Performance

The following list includes the performance of all of West Bengal's state teams at major competitions.

Men's team

Main article: West Bengal football team

The West Bengal football team, also known as IFA Bengal football team or earlier the Bengal football team, is an Indian football team representing West Bengal in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.^[18]

Tournament	Best performance
Santosh Trophy	Champions (1941–42, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83 (Shared with Goa), 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17)
National Games	Gold (1994, 2011, 2022)
B.C. Roy Trophy	Champions (1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2024–25)
Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy	Champions (1965–66, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2015–16)
M. Dutta Ray Trophy	Champions (1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005)

Women's team

Main article: West Bengal women's football team

The West Bengal women's football team, also earlier the Bengal women's football team, is an Indian women's football team representing West Bengal in the Senior Women's National Football Championship.^[19]

Tournament	Best performance
Senior Women's National Football Championship	Champions (1991–92, 1996–97)
National Games	Silver (1999, 2002)
Junior Girl's National Football Championship	Champions (2011–12)
Sub–Junior Girl's National Football Championship	Champions (2010–11)

Affiliated district association

There are currently 23 district association affiliated with the Indian Football Association.

No.	Association	District	President
1	Alipurduar District Football Association	Alipurduar
2	Bankura District Football Association	Bankura
3	Paschim Bardhaman district Football Association	Paschim Bardhaman
4	Purba Bardhaman district Football Association	Purba Bardhaman
5	Birbhum district Football Association	Birbhum
6	Cooch Behar district Football Association	Cooch Behar
7	Darjeeling district Football Association	Darjeeling
8	Dakshin Dinajpur district Football Association	Dakshin Dinajpur
9	Hooghly district Football Association	Hooghly
10	Howrah district Football Association	Howrah
11	Jalpaiguri district Football Association	Jalpaiguri
12	Jhargram district Football Association	Jhargram
13	Kolkata district Football Association	Kolkata
14	Kalimpong district Football Association	Kalimpong
15	Malda district Football Association	Malda
16	Paschim Medinipur district Football Association	Paschim Medinipur
17	Purba Medinipur district Football Association	Purba Medinipur
18	Murshidabad district Football Association	Murshidabad
19	Nadia district Football Association	Nadia
20	North 24 Parganas district Football Association	North 24 Parganas
21	South 24 Parganas Football Association	South 24 Parganas
22	Purulia district Football Association	Purulia
23	Uttar Dinajpur district Football Association	Uttar Dinajpur

Organisation of football in West Bengal

Competitions

Men's

• Calcutta Football League
• IFA Shield
• Trades Cup
• Uttarbanga Cup
• Jayanta Chatterjee Inter District Football Tournament
• IFA Futsal Championship

Women's

• Calcutta Women's Football League
• Women's IFA Shield

Youth

• CFL 5th Division Group B
• IFA Nursery League

Stadiums

The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:

Name	City	Capacity	Image
Salt Lake Stadium †	Bidhannagar	68,000
Barasat Stadium	Barasat	20,000
Sailen Manna Stadium	Howrah	15,000
Rabindra Sarobar Stadium	Lake Gardens	22,000

Note. † denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches.

Notable footballers who have visited West Bengal

Because it is often called India's football capital, many international footballing personalities have visited Kolkata, West Bengal. In 1977, Mohun Bagan played a friendly match against the famous North American Soccer League club New York Cosmos, which featured Pelé. The match, which took place at Eden Gardens, had an attendance of 80,000. The match ended 2–2. Others who have visited Kolkata are Argentinean footballing legend Diego Maradona and current star Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi made his captaincy debut for his national side in Kolkata's, West Bengal Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 2 September 2011 against Venezuela. German legends, including Franz Beckenbauer and Oliver Kahn, have also visited. The best goalkeeper in football history, Russian Lev Yashin, visited in 1955 and 1973. English World Cup–winning legend Bobby Moore was the chief guest during the 1984 Nehru Cup. Emeka Ezuego, the Nigerian World Cup player, played for East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. Majid Bishkar, the Iranian World Cup player, played for East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting from 1980 to 1986. Cameroon footballing legend Roger Milla played for Diamond Club in some exhibition matches in the Centenary Celebration of Mohun Bagan. Uruguay football captain Diego Forlan visited Kolkata in 2010. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge visited in 2010. Julian Caminho visited Kolkata, West Bengal twice—first in 1988 to play for East Bengal and again in 2011. MacDonald Mukansi played for East Bengal in 2007.

Others who have also visited are Terry Paine, Carlos Alberto Torres, Enzo Francescoli, Valencia Ramos, Jorge Burruchaga, Ricardo Gareca, László Kiss, Nicky Butt, Włodzimierz Smolarek, Andrzej Buncol, Eusébio, Ronald Koeman, Paul Breitner, and Swansea City's Neil Taylor.

In July 2023, Argentine World Cup and World Cup Golden Gloves winner Emiliano Martinez also visited the city of Joy, courtesy to Satadru Dutta's initiative. He was grandly welcomed by the citizens and Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.

Footballers from West Bengal

The state of West Bengal has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as:

• Chuni Goswami, first Padma Shri awardee, awarded best striker of Asia in 1962.
• Gostho Pal, footballer, who was member of the Mohun Bagan team that won the IFA shield against a British team in the pre-independence period.
• Krishanu Dey, footballer, known as the "Indian Maradona".
• Mohammed Salim, first player from the Indian subcontinent to play overseas, in the year 1936 for the Scottish Club Celtic FC.
• Pradip Kumar Banerjee, named Indian Footballer of the 20th Century by FIFA, and awardee of the FIFA Order of Merit.
• Shailen Manna, footballer, the only Asian Footballer ever to be named among the 10 best Captains in the world by the English FA in 1953.
• Subrata Paul, member of Indian team, first Indian goalkeeper to play professionally for a foreign club in 1st division (Danish Superliga).
• Sudip Chatterjee, footballer, considered among the finest in Indian football, declared AIFF player of the decade in 1994.

International football

• Robin Dutt, former manager of Bundesliga club, Werder Bremen.
• Neil Taylor, Welsh footballer of half-Bengali origin.

Arjuna award winners

• P. K. Banerjee
• Chuni Goswami
• Arun Lal Ghosh
• Prasun Banerjee
• Sudhir Karmakar
• Shanti Mullick
• Subrata Bhattacharya
• Deepak Kumar Mondal
• Subrata Pal

See also

• History of Indian football
• Football in Kolkata

References

1. Wadwha, Arjun (19 May 2008). "History of Football in India". thesportscampus.com. TheSportsCampus. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
2. "Mohun Bagan and East Bengal: A derby to remember". inbedwithmaradona.com. 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
3. "Football - the passion play in West Bengal". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
4. Hor, Sandip (2010). "Indian Link — The City of Wonders". indianlink.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
5. Pillai, Manu S (8 June 2018). "How football kicked off in India | As with the English language, when the British transported the sport to India, they didn't expect the 'natives' to beat them at it". lifestyle.livemint.com. Delhi, India: Livemint Delhi. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
6. "Durand Cup: 'জান জান মহামেডান', ফুটবল মক্কা চাইছে রেশমি কাবাবের সৌরভ". ekolkata24.com (in Bengali). 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
7. Majumdar, Boria, Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (1 February 2006). Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation. New Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780670058747. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. "Mohun Bagan VS SC East Bengal". FIFA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
9. Banerjie, Indranil (15 May 1985). "Money, violence and politics enter Calcutta football". India Today. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
10. D'Mello, Anthony (1959). Portrait Of Indian Sport. P R Macmillan Limited, London. p. 186. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
11. Waris, Sarah (25 January 2020). "Nagendra Prasad — The father of Indian football who removed prejudice from the sport". thebridge.in. Kolkata: The Bridge. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
12. "About Us". IFAWB. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
13. "Calcutta Football League (CFL) goes bigger than ever for its historic 125th season". thefangarage.com. Kolkata: The Fan Garage. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
14. "The passage of football in India". ifawb.org. Kolkata: Indian Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
15. Majumdar, Rounak (22 April 2019). "The Golden Years of Indian Football". www.chaseyoursport.com. Kolkata: Chase Your Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
16. "Chronology of Important Sports Events — West Bengal". wbsportsandyouth.gov.in. Kolkata: Government of West Bengal – Department of youth services and sports. 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
17. IFFHS - Interesting and curious facts about full internationals and national players (1872–1900) Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. iffhs.de. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
18. "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
19. "Indian Football Association".

Further reading

• Kapadia, Novy (2017). Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-143-42641-7.
• Martinez, Dolores; Mukharjiim, Projit B (2009). Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-88353-6. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
• Dutta, P. L., Memoir of 'Father of Indian Football' Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1944) (hereafter Memoir)
• Ghosh, Saurindra Kumar. Krira Samrat Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary 1869–1940 (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1963) (hereafter Krira Samrat).
• "Triumphs and Disasters: The Story of Indian Football, 1889—2000" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
• D'Mello, Anthony (1959). Portrait Of Indian Sport. P R Macmillan Limited, London.
• Kumar Shil, Amrita (15 May 2022). "Football Culture in Princely State of Cooch Behar" (PDF). JHSR Journal of Historical Study and Search. 2. ISSN 2583-0198. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
• Das, Raktim (4 April 2022). "কলকাতার মোহামেডানের সঙ্গে গাঁটছড়া বাঁধছে ঢাকার মোহামেডান" [Mohammedan of Dhaka is tying knot with Mohammedan of Kolkata]. banglatribune.com (in Bengali). Kolkata. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
• Guha, Chandak (5 September 2019). "ইংরেজরাও ভয় পেত বাংলার প্রথম কিংবদন্তি ফুটবল কোচকে" [The Englishmen too feared Bengal's legendary first football coach]. bongodorshon.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Bongodorshon Information Desk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2022.