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Revision as of 13:11, 21 September 2018

East Bengal Football Club
ইস্ট বেঙ্গল ফুটবল ক্লাব
File:East Bengal F.C.png
Full nameQuess East Bengal Football Club
Nickname(s)Red & Gold Brigade
Founded1st August, 1920
GroundSalt Lake Stadium (I-League)
Kolkata, West Bengal
East Bengal Ground (CFL)
Kolkata, West Bengal
Capacity68,000
23,500
OwnerQuess East Bengal FC Pvt Ltd
chairmanAjit Isaac
ManagerBastob Roy
2017–18I League, 4th
Websitehttp://eastbengalclub.co.in/index.php
Current season

East Bengal Football Club also known as Quess East Bengal Football Club (for sponsorship reasons[1]) is a professional football club, based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It competes in the I-League, the top tier of Indian football. The club has won three National Football League (India) (later named as I-League) titles, eight Federation Cups, and three Indian Super Cups, among others.

The club has a long-standing rivalry with the other Kolkata club and Mohun Bagan, with whom it competes in the renowned Kolkata Derby. East Bengal also shares a rivalry with Kolkata side Mohammedan SC.

History

1920-1930s

On 28 July 1920 Mohun Bagan were scheduled to play Jorabagan in the Coochbehar Cup.[2] Jorabagan sent out their starting eleven but with the notable exclusion of defender Sailesh Bose who was dropped from the squad for reasons not disclosed.[2] The vice-president of Jorabagan, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, asked for Bose to be included in the line-up but the club coaches did not listen.[2] Chaudhuri left the club due to this and along with Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, and Aurobinda Ghosh, formed East Bengal on 1 August 1920; 98 years ago.[2]

The club then participated in their first tournament in the same month of their formation in the Hercules Cup which was a 7-a-side tournament.[2] East Bengal won the tournament. After the tournament the club became affiliated with the Indian Football Association. The club then entered league play in the IFA Second Division.[2] The club finished in third place in the first season in the Second Division.[2] East Bengal first ever clashed against Mohun Bagan on 8 August 1921 in Cooch Behar Cup semifinal match which ended in a goalless draw.

In 1924 the club won the Second Division to gain promotion to the IFA First Division after finishing in second place to Cameroons "B".[2] Due to Cameroons "A" being in the First Division already the "B" team could not gain promotion and thus East Bengal were next in line for promotion.[2] However more controversy arose after it was found out that the IFA only allowed two Indian based clubs in the IFA First Division (back then the IFA was British organization) and during the governing body meeting the nine British clubs approved of allowing East Bengal. After this the IFA removed the Indian club limit rule.[2]

1940s–1970s

It took the club till 1942 to win their first IFA First Division title.[3] Then in 1943 the club won their first IFA Shield. The club then achieved the double in 1945 by winning both the Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield.[3] The club then went on to win the 1949 Rovers Cup and the Durand Cup in 1951. Within that time the club also won three straight IFA Shields (1949, 1950, 1951).[3] The club then partook in a tour to the Soviet Union and Romania in 1953, where they were heavily defeated by Soviet side by a margin of 13–1.[3] Again the club won Rovers Cup several times during this era (1962, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975) as well as Durand Cup in (1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1978). The club stunned everyone by winning the 1970 IFA Shield against Pas Club of Iran by 1–0. Later the club gained more respect by winning 1973 IFA Shield against Pyongyang City SC of North Korea[4] The club then grew their reputation after winning the Calcutta Football League for six straight years from 1970 to 1975.[4] It is on record, that throughout the '70s decade, East Bengal humiliated their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, many a times, including a massive 5–0 humiliation of Mohun Bagan in the hands of East Bengal. Legends have it, that the Mohun Bagan players escaped from the fury of their fans and spent an entire month, hidden from public view.[citation needed]

1980s–1990s

Then in 1984 Mr. Dipak Das came into the club and revamped it. He brought in professionalism and turned the club into a professionally ran company.[4] The club won Federation Cup in 1980 and again in 1985. They also became the first Indian club to play in the newly redone Asian Club Championship in 1985–86.[4] The club then won their first treble in 1990 by winning the IFA Shield, Rovers Cup, and Durand Cup in one season.[4] The club also won the "Stafford Cup" (1986), "McDowell's Cup" (1995, 1997). In 1993, East Bengal FC won its first ever international title i.e. Wai Wai Cup in Nepal.[4] The club also won Federation Cup (India), IFA Shield, Calcutta Football League, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup, several times during this period. In 1996 the club became the founding members of the first nationwide football league in India, the National Football League.[5]

In 1998, "Das" signed with Vijay Mallya's United Breweries Group which then formed a new Private Limited Company called "United East Bengal Football Team Private Limited".[4] The club also renamed itself as Kingfisher East Bengal FC from then on.[4]

1990 to 2018

The club then entered the 21st century in style winning the 2000–01 National Football League season.[6] Then they became the first club to win back to back titles after winning the 2002–03 and 2003–04 versions of the league and coming runners up in 2010–11 and 2011–12 in the I-League.[6] The club then went on to win the Federation Cup (India) again in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.[6] They also won the Indian Super Cup in 2006 and 2011.[6] The club had won another international trophy in 2003, ASEAN Club Championship, in Jakarta, Indonesia.[citation needed]

The club went in the semi-finals of the reputed AFC Cup in 2013 where they lost against Kuwait SC of Kuwait.[7]

The club is currently the Calcutta Football League holder with winning 8 consecutive titles (Indian football record).

Recent History

On 5th of July, 2018, Quess Corp Ltd signed an agreement with the East Bengal Club, a premier football club based in Kolkata, leading to the formation of a new entity named "Quess East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd." (QEBFC)[8] In a media release, Quess [9]said this investment in a 98-year old iconic football club will help it to develop its brand and also contribute to the development of football in the country.

Record

Season Div. Tms. Pos. Attendance/G Federation Cup/Super Cup CFL Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
2014–15 I-League 11 4 – Group stage 1 DNP DNP Group stage
2015–16 I-League 9 3 – Quarter-finals 1 DNP DNP DNP
2016–17 I-League 10 3 9,726 Semi-finals 1 DNP DNP DNP
2017–18 I-League 10 4 17,366 Runners-up 1 DNP DNP DNP
2018–19 I-League 10 – – – - DNP DNP DNP
Key
  • Tms. = Number of teams
  • Pos. = Position in league
  • Attendance/G = Average league attendance

Kolkata Derby

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan enjoys an on-field rivalry. The first Kolkata derby match between these two team took place on 28 August 1925 in Calcutta Football League at the Calcutta FC ground (now known as the Mohun Bagan ground) which ended 1–0 in the favour of East Bengal with the help of a solitary goal from Nepal Chakraborty. Since then 322 (official) derbies are played till now East Bengal having the upper hand with 120 wins while Mohun Bagan winning 91 and rest matches ended as a draw.

The highest margin of victory in the Kolkata Derby remains for East Bengal as they defeated Mohun Bagan by 5–0 in the 1975 IFA Shield Final at the Mohun Bagan Ground with Shyam Thapa scoring a brace, Subhash Bhowmick, Ranjit Mukherjee and Subhankar Sanyal scoring the other 3.

Records

*(Including Friendlies,walkovers & non-competitive matches).

Crest

In 1930, India was swept over by Gandhi’s Satyagraha which had an effect on football. Indian clubs boycotted the ongoing Calcutta Football League midway through the season due to this. Amidst much confusion, Royal Regiment was declared winners in the first division. However, East Bengal was not allowed to be promoted to the First Division. Thousands of East Bengal fans and officials decided to hold a protest march at the East Bengal Ground. It was at this march that flaming torches were carried by the protestors. This gave the club officials the idea of a torch (known as 'Mashal' or 'মশাল' in Bengali) being the club emblem, which has stuck to this day. [10]

Colours

The colours of East Bengal FC are red and gold. So the home jersey consists of a red and gold jersey with black shorts while the colour of away jersey actually varies on every year.

The reason for these colours is because after the club was formed the founders debated over the choice of colours for the club jersey. They chose a red and golden colour shirt hanging impressively at the "Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co." departmental store at Chowringhee, Kolkata. These colours became permanently associated with the club.[2]

Stadiums

Historically, the club has used several stadiums at Kolkata, Howrah and Barasat, including the Eden Gardens, which has been reserved for cricket since Salt Lake Stadium opened in 1984.

Salt Lake Stadium

The Salt Lake Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal. The stadium is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world and the largest in India. It is currently used for mainly football matches. The stadium was built in 1984, has got a capacity of 85,000 people. The stadium has three tiers.[11] The stadium includes a unique running track, long jump track, electronic scoreboard, natural turf, floodlighting arrangement, air conditioned VIP rest room and Conference Hall along with Medical Room & Doping Control Room.[11] Other features of the stadium are boxes for TV along with several platforms for TV cameras, press boxes, air conditioned player's changing rooms.

The Salt Lake Stadium

The Salt Lake Stadium hosts the home games of East Bengal in I-League and AFC Cup.

East Bengal Ground

The East Bengal Ground is another stadium in Kolkata, India. This stadium has natural grass turf. This stadium is associated with the club and is actually East Bengal F.C.'s home ground. The stadium lies on the Maidan (Kolkata) area on the northern side of Fort William and near to the Eden Gardens. Other features of the stadium are like floodlights, elevator, commentary box, press box, etc. The club has got air conditioned dressing rooms for players, modern gymnasium, coffee shop and other advanced facilities. This stadium is currently used mostly for football matches of Calcutta Football League and is the home stadium of East Bengal in most of the Calcutta Football League matches. The stadium holds 23,500 people.[11]

Barasat Stadium

Barasat Stadium is also a stadium used by East Bengal club to play some of its regional matches, especially in cases where the Salt Lake Stadium or East Bengal Ground cannot be used for any reason.

This stadium has artificial grass turf and comes with proper floodlights to support night matches, too.

Kanchenjunga Stadium

Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium based in Siliguri has been used several times to host football matches for East Bengal Club.[citation needed]

Supporters and rivalries

East Bengal is one of the most supported football clubs in Asia. Historically, East Bengal was supported by the migrant population from erstwhile Indian part of East Bengal, modern day Bangladesh. On the other hand, crosstown rivals Mohun Bagan were mainly supported by the native populace of current state West Bengal. The Kolkata Derby as its name taken from the Old Firm Derby between Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C. dates back to 1920s.

After the Independence, the influx of the immigrant population from East Bengal made this rivalry a fierce one and the Kolkata Derby grew in popularity and reached its peak during the '60s and '70s which still is very much popular today with almost 100 thousand spectators fill up the Salt Lake Stadium for the derbies.

East Bengal also has a rivalry with another Calcutta Club Mohammedan SC which is also known as the "Mini Derby".

East Bengal Ultras are the main Ultras group of East Bengal, a group of hardcore fans always behind the team and the ones who revolutionised the Ultras movement in Indian Football.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Period Shirt sponsor
1998-2009 Reebok 1997 Khadims
2013-2017 Shivnaresh 1998-2018 Kingfisher
2017- present Perf 2018 – presentQuess

Players

First-team squad

Acosta at the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Further information on squads: 2018–19 East Bengal F.C. season § First-team Squad
As of 31 May 2018.[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK India IND Rakshit Dagar
— GK India IND Ubaid CK
— GK India IND Abhra Mondal
— GK India IND Mirshad Michu
— DF Costa Rica CRC Johnny Acosta
— DF India IND Kingshuk Debnath
— DF India IND Kamalpreet Singh
— DF India IND Lalramchullova
— DF Spain ESP Borja Gómez Pérez
— DF India IND Mehtab Singh Sandhu
— DF India IND Lalrozama Fanai
— DF India IND Salam Ranjan Singh
— DF India IND Samad Ali Mallick
— DF India IND Koushik Sarkar
— DF India IND Gurmukh Singh
— DF India IND Manoj Mohammed
— DF India IND Rahul Ghosh
— DF India IND Hira Mandal
— MF Syria SYR Mahmoud Amnah
— MF India IND Surabuddin Mollick
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW South Korea KOR Do Dong-hyun
— MF Senegal SEN Kassim Aidara
— MF India IND Laldanmawia Ralte
— MF India IND Lalrindika Ralte
— MF India IND Bidyasagar Singh
— MF India IND Brandon Vanlalremdika
— MF India IND Richard Costa
— MF India IND Ginkaholen Haokip
— MF India IND Prakash Sarkar
— MF India IND Sanchayan Samaddar
— MF India IND Sujay Dutta
— FW India IND Jobi Justin
— FW Mexico MEX Enrique Esqueda
— FW India IND Bali Gagandeep
— FW India IND Yami Longvah
— FW India IND Telem Suranjit Singh
— FW India IND Tetepuia Lalchanhima
— FW India IND Sujoy Datta

Under-18 squad

As of 31 May 2018.[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK India IND Ayan Roy
— GK India IND Bishal Chakraborty
— GK India IND Sourav Toppo
— {{{pos}}} India IND Amrit Pal Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Chiranjeet Gogoi
— {{{pos}}} India IND Gurmukh Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Monoj Mohammed
— {{{pos}}} India IND Mohamad Esha
— {{{pos}}} India IND Rahul Dey
— {{{pos}}} India IND Jhantu Prasad
— {{{pos}}} India IND Loyangamba Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Meitalkeishangbam Roger
No. Pos. Nation Player
— {{{pos}}} India IND PC Rohlupuia
— {{{pos}}} India IND Mohamad Esha
— {{{pos}}} India IND Meitalkeishangbam Clinton
— {{{pos}}} India IND T. Suranjit Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Sourav Mondal
— {{{pos}}} India IND S. Bikash Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Subhonil Ghosh
— {{{pos}}} India IND Akash Mukherjee
— {{{pos}}} India IND Lalcchanhima
— {{{pos}}} India IND Dip Saha
— {{{pos}}} India IND Soumen Oraw
— {{{pos}}} India IND N. Naresh Singh
— {{{pos}}} India IND S.R. Lalruatkima

Current technical staff

Position Name
Coach Spain Alejandro Menéndez
Physical Trainer India Rudra Pratim Roy
Technical Director India Subhash Bhowmick
Assistant Coach India Ranjan Chowdhury
Club Doctor India Dr. Shantiranjan Dasgupta
Physio India Shaunak Chakrabarty
Team Media Officer India Gautam Roy

AFC Club Ranking

As of 29 August 2018.[14]
Current Rank Country Team Points
115 Jordan Al Ahli 8.15
116 Indonesia Bali United 8.08
117 India East Bengal FC 8.01
118 Cambodia Boeung Ket 7.97
119 Bahrain Malkiya 7.94

Continental record

Main article: East Bengal in Asia
Competition No. of Appearances Seasons Best Result
Asian Club Championship [a] 2 1985–86, 1998-99 Group Stages
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 5 1991-92, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995, 1997-98 Quarter Finals (1991-92)
ASEAN Club Championship 1 2003 Champions
AFC Cup 8 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 Semi Finals (2013)

[a] Known as AFC Champions League from 2003

Honours

International

  • Wai Wai Cup
Champions (1): 1993
Champions (1): 2003
  • San Miguel International Cup
Champions (1): 2004

National

Champions (3): 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04
Champions (8): 1978, 1980, 1985, 1996, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012
Champions (3): 1997, 2006, 2011
Champions (39): 1942, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1961, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Champions (29): 1943, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975,1976, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2018
Champions (16): 1951, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972,1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2004
Champions (10): 1949, 1962, 1967, 1969,1972. 1973, 1975, 1980, 1990, 1994
  • D.C.M Trophy
Champions (7): 1950,1952,1957,1960,1973,1974,1983
Champions (5): 1968,1972,1973,1978,1992
Champions (7): 1987,1988,1990,1992,1995,1998,2001

Trophy Count

Tournament No. of times Won
International
Indonesia ASEAN Club Championship 1
Nepal Wai Wai Cup 1993 1
Nepal San Miguel International Cup 2004 1
Domestic
India National Football League (renamed as I-League from 2007) 3
India Federation Cup 8
India Indian Super Cup 3
India Calcutta Football League 39
India IFA Shield 29
India Durand Cup 16
India Rovers Cup 10
India Bordoloi Trophy 5
India DCM Trophy 7
India All Airlines Gold Cup 7
Total 130

Quadruples & Quintuples

Honours Season Titles
Quadruples 1990-91 IFA Shield, Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, All Airlines Gold Cup
1995-96 Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Durand Cup, All Airlines Gold Cup
2003-04 National Football League, Calcutta Football League, Durand Cup, San Miguel International Cup
Quintuples 1972-73 Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, Bordoloi Trophy
1973-74 Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Rovers Cup, DCM Trophy, Bordoloi Trophy
2002-03 ASEAN Club Championship, National Football League, Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Durand Cup

Special Achievements

  • East Bengal was adjudged to be the best club in Asia by English FA in their Almanac 1951-52.[15]
  • East Bengal was invited by Soviet Union Soviet Union and Romania Romania for Bucharest Football Festival in 1953, after then President of India late Dr. Rajendra Prasad recommended East Bengal as the best club in India.
  • East Bengal was the first Indian club after Independence to defeat a foreign opponent to win a Major Trophy

East Bengal 1-0 PAS Club of Iran Iran in the 1970 IFA Shield Final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Parimal Dey scored the winner.

  • East Bengal twice won the Calcutta Football League without conceding a single goal: 1972 & 1991
  • East Bengal was the first and still the only Indian football team to win any Major Trophy at a Foreign Soil:

East Bengal 3-1 BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand Thailand, 2003 ASEAN Club Championship, held at Jakarta, Indonesia.

  • East Bengal holds the record for the most number of appearances by an Indian football team in AFC competitions: 81 Matches.

Official sponsors/investors

The club's current sponsors' list.

Type Name
Main Investor and owner Quess Corp
Sponsor Quess Corp
Co Sponsors Shyam Steel
Kit Sponsor PERF

References

  1. ^ "East Bengal get boost from new investor, but unlikely to play in ISL this season".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "THE RISE OF EAST BENGAL CLUB". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "1940S TO 1960S". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "1970S TO 1990S". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  5. ^ http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/india97.html#nfl1 1996–97 NFL India
  6. ^ a b c d "CONTINUING THE LEGACY". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  7. ^ India, Press Trust. "East Bengal FC's AFC Cup final hopes dashed after 3-0 defeat to Kuwait SC". sports.ndtv.com. NDTV. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Quess Corp Ltd inks partnership with East Bengal Club to form Quess East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd" (PDF). quesscorp.com. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Soccer club East Bengal ropes in Bangalore-based Quess Corp as its new investor". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  10. ^ 1930s: The Dark Decade
  11. ^ a b c "SALT LAKE STADIUM". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Senior Team". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Under 18 Team". East Bengal Football Club. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  14. ^ "AFC Club Ranking 2018".
  15. ^ https://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2017/stories/20030829007813300.htm
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