Mohun Bagan Immortal XI Who Changed The History Of Indian Football

29th july,1911 is a date that is engraved in the history of Indian football with great sense of pride and freedom. This day left a non-fading scar on the British empire till the end of pre-independence era. On this day, Mohun Bagan, the current national club of India, became the first native club to win the IFA Shield tournament defeating East Yorkshire Regiment with a scoreline of 2-1.

IFA( Indian Football Association)

IFA or the Indian Football Association came into existence in 1893. The IFA Shield tournament started in the same year and it is marked as the the first national tournament to be held in India and the fourth oldest football tournament in the world. 

First 18 Years

The first 18 years of this competition was dominated by the British army teams such as  Gordon Highlanders,Highland Light Infantry,Royal Irish Rifles,Dalhousie AC and many more. Around 1890’s the Indian teams and especially Kolkata based, like Mohun Bagan AC,Mohammedan SC,Aryan club were still amateurs who hardly possessed any threat or challenge to the British military teams. 

After 18 years, this event took place that transformed the core of Indian football forever.

In 1911’s IFA Shield finals, 11 Bengal born players wrapped in Green and Maroon became the first Indian team to clinch the victory and creates history, that’s still cherished and talked about till date.

The  2-1 victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment undoubtedly remains the biggest motivation for Indian footballers even today. 

Patriotic Fans’ Support

Mohun Bagan, or the Mariners, received the cheering of 80,000 supporters on that very day. 

People standing outside the stadium received the score updates from kites that were flown from inside the stadium after every goal that were scored.
 

Match Insights

Due to economic hardships, Mohun Bagan played barefooted and without proper kits for the whole tournament, against British teams who were equipped with all the needed accessories . 

So in the finals, the Green and Maroon brigade attacked from the onset but East Yorkshire Regiment drew the first blood by scoring a goal from a freekick, through Jackson. Mesmerizingly, it only took just five minutes for Mohun Bagan to score the equalizer.The goal came from the iconic captain Shibdas Bhaduri. The first half remained 1-1.

In the second half, both teams tried to change flanks continuously and pressed hard for scoring the supposed winner. But solid defence from both sides prevented any goal being scored till the better part of the half.
However, just two minutes before the final whistle to be blown, an accurate assist by the goalscorer Shibdas Bhaduri and an astonishing finish by Abhilash Ghosh helped Mohun Bagan to go into the history books and be remembered by the whole nation forever.

Consequence

This match was happened after 6 years of  Bengal partition, which caused terrible mayhem in the lives of local people.

This revolting victory resulted in healing the wounds of these people, who had been deprived from liberty and a feeling of shear bliss for a long time.

Also another reason why this match and achievement of Mohun Bagan remains so alive in the hearts of people, is because after East Yorkshire Regiment lost, within a few days time, the British Empire shifted its capital from the heart of Bengal, Kolkata, to Delhi, which still remains the capital after 70 years of independence.

Indian Football Today

In the recent times, with the emergence of franchise league tournaments, the recent trends of indian football are growing rapidly and has again started gaining a global exposure. 

The last few years have seen some serious developments from the viewpoint of football quality, infrastructure, accessories and lastly fan following too.

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