The East Bengal Manics
With due reverence to the looker-on…..here we, “THE EAST BENGAL MANIACS” have finally taken the throne to usher our official club website so as to propagate the spread out football spirit among the individuals under one canopy.
Spellbound to the aura of Kingfisher EAST BENGAL Football Club, bases the anthology of notation.
Kingfisher East Bengal
East Bengal: Established 1920.
Named so for its founders hailed from that region of Bengal.
First Indian Club to win IFA Shield for 3 consecutive years (1949-51).
Rewarded as the Best Club of India by the F.A (The Football Association) of England in 1951.
Won Calcutta football League for 6 years in a row(1970-75).
Won 23 trophies from the Capital, New Delhi. (Durand Cup-16 & DCM Trophy-7 times)
East Bengal also has a multi-collaborative tie-in with Leicester City FC, UK for an exchange program with junior footballers, in respect to coaching techniques, sports science, and other developmental programs.
In 1970,East Bengal created a history by defeating Pas Club(Iran) 1-0 in IFA Shield final, the first victory of an Indian club over foreign team since the independence. East Bengal has a glorious past record against the foreign clubs.
The only club in India to participate in Asian Club Championship/AFC Cup 10 times.
In 1998, the name of the club changed from East Bengal Club to Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club after producer of Kingfisher brand beer United Breweries became 50% stakeholder and sponsor of the club.
In 2003 July, East Bengal mesmerized not only in India but in the whole continent also when they won LG Asean Cup from Jakarta beating BEC Tero Sasana in the finals.
It is the first club in India to win back to back National Football League titles(2003 & 2004).
Home Ground and Stadium
It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of East Bengal Club. The stadium holds 23,500 people.
History Of East Bengal
In the early part of twentieth century, football had been a popular sport among the Bengali youth - even more after Mohun Bagan's historic success in the 1911 I.F.A. Shield final. But "natives", as the Indians were hailed in those days, did not have the same privilege of the British and I.F.A. Governing body rules permitted only two Indian clubs in the First Divisions of the League. Indian clubs like Kumartuli (1917, 1918 and 1919) and Town were denied promotion in spite of topping the Second Division. Natives had to appease their appetite by playing in Coochbehar Cup and Trades Cup and it was the former tourney, which played a significant role in the formation of East Bengal Club.
IFA Affiliation
East Bengal Club got the affiliation of Indian Football Association (then run by the British) in face of some grim opposition, sadly though, from other Indian Clubs of Calcutta --Mohun Bagan and Aryans. Gradually by dint of their performance, East Bengal Club came into limelight and ultimately got the first flavor of the Calcutta I.F.A. Shield by winning in the year 1943. The Club again won the I.F.A. Shield, Calcutta 1st Division league in the year 1945.
Success of East Bengal
Winning the ASEAN Cup in Jakarta in 2003, remaining undefeated for eight international games at a stretch and being the first team to win the coveted National Football League in back-to-back years (2000-2001 & 2002-2003) are just some of the moments to savour.
East Bengal Club is the only club in India who was invited by Romania Youth Festival Committee to participate in their football tournament at Bucharest in the year 1953. The club was recommended the best football club of India by the then President of India, Late Dr. Rajendra Prasad. East Bengal was the first club in India to represent the country in the Asian Club Cup football tournament.
With courtesy,
Nilanjana Saha
