E. Bengal vs Bagan no longer clash of the titans
In the list of world football’s top club rivalries, Mohun Bagan versus East Bengal clash is rated amongst the 50 most important matches played annually. A remarkable feat as this is the only match listed from a country which has always been below 100 in the Fifa rankings. This Kolkata derby is considered not only India’s greatest but also one of Asia’s oldest and most anticipated matches. From this continent, the only other derby considered amongst the world’s top 50 is Tehran’s Pirouzi vs Esteghlal.
This season the Mohun Bagan-East Bengal clash will reach the historic milestone of 300 derby matches. This intense rivalry first started in the 1925 IFA League match which East Bengal won 1-0, with a goal by N. Chakraborty.
In all major domestic tournaments, like the Durand (1957 semi-final), IFA Shield (1944 semi-final) and Rovers Cup (1960 semi-final) East Bengal have prevailed over Bagan in their first meetings. The only exception is the National League when Bagan beat East Bengal 2-1 when they met for the first time in the competition in 1998.
This Sunday, the two play their 299th match — an I-League encounter — at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. In the 298 matches against each other. East Bengal have won 110, Mohun Bagan 64 and 104 matches have been drawn. The former have scored 270 goals and Bagan 224.
This match will as always have the highest TV ratings in Indian football. Last season 80,000 people witnessed the Round 13 tie between these historic rivals. In fact every season the average attendance at I-League matches shoots up because of the large crowds in these two Kolkata derby matches.
As both teams after a shaky start have now gained momentum with a series of wins in their 5th I-League campaign, a capacity crowd is expected this Sunday.
However what should be worrying for Bengal’s football fans is that though this match has a lot of tradition and history, it is no longer the clash of the titans. The Goa clubs have usurped this claim as Dempo, Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar have the best success rate in Indian football recently.
A Kolkata club has not won the national football league since 2004. In previous seasons their club managements were to be blamed as they displayed needless impatience in sacking coaches and annually tinkering with the line-ups.
The Kolkata clubs have now learnt from Dempo’s national league successes that an unchanged squad helps to create a cohesive team. East Bengal retained most of their players for the last two seasons. Coach Trevor Morgan has added to the squad by recruiting left Robert Lalthuamna and midfielder Khantang Paite and India junior internationals goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and defender Raju Gaikwad.
However youth development programmes still remain a neglected area in Kolkata football. In contrast Goa has achieved success in this area. Recent internationals Joaquim Abranches (Dempo) and Francis Fernandez (Salgaocar) have come up through the ranks. By ignoring development of local talent, Kolkata clubs are increasing their costs and losing a fan base.
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