The first competitive
football tournament, introduced in colonial Calcutta, was the Trades Cup which
was started in 1889 by the European traders. Shovabazar was the only club which
was invited to participate in the inaugural year of this tournament.
The Indian Football
Association (IFA), the first administrative body of football in India, was set
up in 1893 with the objective of organizing the IFA Shield tournament. Shri
Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikari joined hands with C.A. Brown, C. B. Lindsey and L.
Watson to form the IFA. The financial support to form this administrative body
was provided by the Maharaja of Coach Behar. However, neither Shri Sarbadhikari
nor the Maharaja of Coach Behar was successful in removing or reducing the
influence of the British from running the IFA. The prestigious IFA Shield was
started in 1893 and the Calcutta Football League was launched in 1898. However,
till 1914, the Calcutta Football League was limited to the European teams only.
Even in 1914, only two teams from Calcutta, Mohun Bagan and Aryans, were
allowed to participate in the second division of the League. This racial
approach was taken by the colonial rulers in the game of football in Calcutta
to discriminate the ruled Indians from them. Similar approach was applied to
other tournaments, such as the Cadet Cup which was limited to the European and
the Anglo-Indian students. The Indian teams were not allowed to participate in
the football competitions introduced in the other parts of the country, such as
the Durand Cup (1888) and the Rovers Cup (1891). This discussion clearly represents the
discriminatory policy taken by the British rulers in football in colonial
Calcutta as well as in the other parts of the country with an objective of
separating them from the native Indians.
Mohun Bagan, the
identity of nationalism in the game of football in colonial Calcutta, was
established on 15th August 1889 in the political and cultural centre
of north Calcutta. The club derived its name from Kirti Mitra’s Mohun Bagan
Villa and the inaugural meeting of the club was held at the residence of the
prominent leader of Congress, Shri Bhupendranath Basu. The eminent
personalities of Bengal became the members of the club.
The wealthy Rajas,
including the Maharaja of Coach Behar, Raj Bahadur of Mahishadal, Maharaja
Durga Charan Law, became the patrons of the club.
Mohun Bagan started
their journey in the IFA Shield by beating the St. Xavier’s College by three
goals to nil. In the next match, they defeated the Rangers Club by two goals to
one. In the third match, the club beat the Rifle Brigade by a solitary goal and
qualified for the semi-final. The first semi-final, against Middlesex Regiment,
ended in a one-all draw, while the reply match was won by Mohun Bagan
convincingly by scoring three goals. History was created on 29th
July 1911 when Mohun Bagan defeated East York Regiment in the final of the IFA
Shield by two goals to one. Shibdas Bhaduri and Abilash Ghosh secured permanent
place in the history of Indian football by scoring two goals for Mohun Bagan in
the final match.
The final match,
against East York Regiment, created hype among the Bengali community. Almost
80,000 people assembled at the Maidan ground to witness the prowess of an
Indian team over a British team in the final of the IFA Shield. Out of this
huge gathering, only a few thousands could see the match properly. The results
of the match were conveyed to the rest by flying kites. The green kites
symbolized the progress of Mohun Bagan, while the black kites symbolized the
progress of the British team. The tickets of the match were sold at a higher
price. A ticket of two rupees was sold at a price of fifteen rupees. It was,
probably, one of the initial instances of black marketing in Indian sports.
The historic win of
Mohun Bagan in IFA Shield in 1911 inspired the Bengali community to stand
united against the threat of partition. The impact of this success was evident
from the reports of the newspapers. The glorious win of Mohun Bagan was highlighted
in a report of The Empire, which wrote, “Even now after 48 hours after the
great and glorious victory of Mohun Bagan over East York’s, the significance of
the event has not been fully realized. It was a fine achievement, the finest
indeed in the annals of football in India.” It continued, “All honours to Mohun
Bagan! Those eleven players are not only a glory to themselves and to their
club, but the great nation that they belong”. The implication of this historic
win was rightly reported in The Englishman, on 31st July 1911, as “What the
Congress has failed to achieve, Mohun Bagan has. In other words they have
succeeded in degrading the English.” The impact of this epochal win was
portrayed by Basumati on 5th August 1911 as “we have seen Bengalis assembled on
various occasions of danger, distress and sorrow such as that of the partition,
the Consent Bill and the death of a great man. But never before did we witness
such vast assembly such a demonstration of joy………. Mohun Bagan has infused a
new life into the lifeless and cheerless Bengalis………… In a country, where union
takes place only to dissolve, where repulsion is more powerful than attraction,
you have been able to knit together so many hearts”. The Amrita Bazar Patrika,
on 31st July 1911, mentioned that this event clearly represented the physical
and mental prowess of the Bengalis.
The essence of
nationalism was reflected in the reports of the newspapers. The Indian Mirror,
on 30th July 1911, 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”.
On the same day, Nayak wrote, “Indians can hold their own against Englishmen in
every walk of art and science, in every profession and in the higher grades of
the public service. Among sports, in cricket, Prince Ranjit Singh and the
Bombay team have beaten the Englishmen on their own ground………. It only remains
for the Indians to beat Englishmen in that purely English sport, the football.
It thrills every Indian with joy to the victory of the Mohun Bagan team over
English soldiers.”
The success of Mohun
Bagan was viewed as the reply to the racial policy adopted by the British
rulers. The sentiment was portrayed in a report of Times of India Illustrated
Weekly as, “On Thursday and Friday every Bengali carried his head high and the
one theme of conversation in the tramcars, in offices and in those places where
the babus congregate most, was the rout of the King’s soldiers in boots and
shoes by barefooted Bengali lads.”
Despite the fact that
Mohun Bagan comprised of Hindu Bengalis, its victory over the British teams
inspired the Muslim community as well. After the completion of the final match,
the football heroes of Mohun Bagan were accompanied by their countrymen in a
procession from Maidan to Shyambazar. When the procession was near the
Thanthania Kali Temple of Calcutta, the Muslims gathered at Dharmatala with
drums to join the procession. The Mussalman, a Muslim journal, wrote, “Although
Mohun Bagan was a team composed of Bengali Hindus, the jubilation in
consequence of its success was in fact a sense of universal joy, which pervaded
the feeling of the Hindus, the Mohammedans and the Christians alike”. The
Comrade, another Muslim journal, wrote, “We hereby join the chorus of praise
and jubilation over the victory of Mohun Bagan”. Therefore, it can be said that
the triumph of Mohun Bagan in the IFA Shield in 1911 played a pivotal role in
uniting Bengal, irrespective of religious belief.
