Every Bengali needs to witness the experience of the Kolkata derby match at least once in his or her lifetime.
The passion for the derby is outstanding. People leave their schools, colleges and miss work to go to the stadium on derby day. Fans from faraway towns all over the West Bengal region and India hire trucks, load up their friends and families and travel for almost five hours, to arrive and support their clubs - East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan AC. This Saturday, the 23rd of January, this show will take place in Kolkata and there will be scenes.
The Kolkatan Football Cosmos
The “Boro Khela” (in Bengali- the Big Match), is the local nickname for this explosive encounter between two of the biggest and most popular clubs in India. The rivalry is almost 89 years old, so it goes way back before India’s independence. Usually, they meet at least three times a year, twice in the I-League and once in the State League, as well as in other competitions, such as the Federation Cup and the IFA Shield.
Mohun Bagan was founded in 1889 and is the oldest football club in Asia. In 1911, the club won the first-ever major title of the country, the IFA Shield. Shibdas Bhaduri and Abhilash Ghosh led Mohun Bagan for a historical victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment, one of the British teams who were active in the country back then. India was under British rule at the time, and a British team suffering such a defeat by a local club was counted as shameful and embarrassingly disrespectful for the foreign colonials. Indians, and especially the people of West Bengal, are still proud of that achievement. Nowadays, the 29th of July is celebrated as ‘Mohun Bagan Day’. Since then, the club that won the game has been known as ‘India’s National Club’.
The club’s two talismans, Katsumi Yusa and latest addition Sony Norde carried Mohun Bagan to triumphs in the I-League and the League Cup last season, also winning the hearts of thousands of people by bringing the league cup to Kolkata after many years.
East Bengal was founded in 1920 and is one of the most notable football clubs in India. Since 1996, when the National Football League kicked off, East Bengal has been a member of the competition. It is the only team to have stayed in the top positions of the table since then. It has the biggest fan base in the history of Indian football, with more than 1.4 million likes on its official Facebook page. Last season, the team finished fourth in the I-League. The latest addition to the team, Do Dong-Hyun, has had a great start to this season, already bagging 12 goals.
While the Indian Super League (ISL) is played, all other football competitions in the country are put on hold. Many players from both Kolkatan teams are on loan at ISL clubs, most commonly Atlético de Kolkata. This short term league has opened opportunities for new talents in Indian football. Atlético de Kolkata’s title in the first season aroused hopes and interest towards the local team among many people, and especially in Kolkata, a true football city. For now, both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal cannot be compared to Atlético, since the level of the ISL is far superior, due to the fact that more experienced and talented players take part in the ISL. It is proving to be beneficial for Indian football, as the clubs get to learn a lot from the process, from the robust techniques to strategies, passing techniques, attack formation, defence, etc. In the record book of derbies, East Bengal has proven themselves to be the best club in the city. In 323 meetings, East Bengal has won 120, lost 94 matches and drawn 109 times. In the last two derbies, one finished in a tie, and the other was 1-0 in favour of Mohun Bagan.
During this year’s transfer window, both teams have signed some foreign players to look out for in the I League. East Bengal’s latest foreign signing, Bernard Mendy, was fantastic in both ISL seasons. He is going to one of the key players for East Bengal this season, but it’s still doubtful whether he will play in the upcoming Derby. On the other hand, Bagan has signed a Brazilian defender, Luciano Sabrosa, and a forward, Cornell Glen, from Trinidad and Tobago. In Bagan’s first match in the I-League this season, both Cornell and Sabrosa caught the eyes of many fans with their two goals against Salgaocar.
One memorable but infamous derby match was on 9 December 2012, when Mohun Bagan player Rahim Nabi was injured after he was hit by a brick, which was thrown from the stands. Chaos spread immediately across the stadium. The crowd went crazy and threw anything they could get their hands on towards the pitch. It was an outrageous spectacle. Many people were injured in the incident, and the police had to intervene and control the crowd. It was a dark day in the history of Indian football. Sadly and unfortunately, I was there in the stadium to witness these occurrences.
The Roots of the Rivalry
The derby is sometimes referred to as the “El Clásico of India”. The rivalry between the teams is intense, and the rivalry between the fans is on a whole different level.
Both clubs’ fans represent a specific sector of the Bengali people. Mohun Bagan fans represent the population who lived in the western part of old Bengal, while East Bengal (as the name suggests), represents people hailing from the eastern part of pre-independence Bengal (now Bangladesh). The majority of the Bagan supporters represent the native people (“Ghoti”), whereas East Bengal fans represents the immigrant population (“Bangal”). Times have changed, and ethnic cross-supporters can now be found. Being the natives of the region, the Ghotis have not been tolerant towards the Bangalis over the years. Even today, some glimpses of hostility can be seen towards them. On a match-day, a fan cannot even dare go near the stands of their rivals, inside and outside the stadium. Extra Police forces are required to control the crowd on a Derby day. On match-days, the Ghoti and the Bangal are bitter enemies. These are the only days when the Salt Lake Stadium is full. Even though today, the relationship between the long-established Ghoti residents and the Bangal descendant populations is calm, during a Kolkata Derby, the signs of past ethnic and national tensions can be seen to the peak.
For instance, Mohun Bagan fanatics won’t let someone enter their house if they are wearing something that is yellow and red (the colours of East Bengal).
Football's the Answer
Although problems between supporters have been witnessed (which is part and parcel of rivalries between football fans), there has been a healthy form of football played within the confines of the field. As a concept, football has a different effect on these people altogether. Socialisation is an outcome. On an individual level, people are both encouraged and attracted to this sport in Bengal. When you see the rest of the family crouching down in front of the television with raging enthusiasm, you automatically tend to become a part of it, and hence you become a part of the feud. Football has always encroached on the lives of the people of Bengal. As we have said, it is the most encouraged and followed sport amongst the citizens of Bengal, with a long list of winners of the Arjuna Award (the second most prestigious sporting award in India) trailing back to this state.
The Kolkata rivalry, as perceived, promotes a healthy state of competition which is needed to be required in any state or country. A sense of competition has always been the spur to developments at all levels, be it a club, district, state, national or international level. Some may call it a competition, others may call it a rivalry, but at the end of the day, the stadium sees its greatest attendance on a derby match-day. That is the essence of football in Bengal.
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Subhadip Das is a guy who is passionate about football, who loves to watch matches with friends and chilled beers, and he's a devoted Mohun Bagan fan. He can be contacted via Facebook or Instagram.