East Bengal – 100 years of glory

By Trisha Ghosal, 01 August 2020

Exactly 100 years ago today, the East Bengal club was founded. The official Twitter handle of the club tweeted, ” The East Bengal club turns 100 years today. No matter how hard the situation is, we shall not halt the celebration for our glorious 100 years. It is indeed a moment of pride and we are happy to have your support.”

East Bengal – The Highs

East Bengal has had many highs and lows in the past 100 years. Let’s relive some moments from its glorious past –

1. IFA Shield Final of 1945 – East Bengal’s first foreign player Fred Pugsley scored with a tap-in off a rebound. His goal ensured that East Bengal did the double (having won IFA Shield in 1943 as well) for the first time.
2. Coach PK too hot to handle for Iran’s PAS Club – In 1970, East Bengal faced Iran’s PAS Club in the IFA Shield final. PAS had won the AFC Asian Cup in 1968 and was embarking on a hat trick of continental titles. East Bengal was on a roll under coach PK Banerjee. EB had won the CFL without conceding a goal that season. Banerjee made Prashanta Sinha play a defensive role. He brought in Parimal Dey on late in the game. Dey scored the winner in the injury time. It was the first Shield final win against a foreign team since independence.
3. Bhaichung Bhutia’s hat trick – 1997 IFA Shield final was yet another derby encounter. The first half was tactical and EB led narrowly with a Nazmul Haque goal. The second half saw Bhaichung taking MB head-on and scoring a hat trick. Bhutia became the first to have scored a competitive hat trick between the clubs. EB won 4-1, thanks to Bhutia’s brilliance.
4. ASEAN Club Championship 2003 winner – Bhaichung Bhutia was on fire throughout the tournament. He was the top scorer of the tournament. EB only lost one match in the entire tournament against BEC Tero Sasana. EB became the first Indian club to win an officially recognised Asian football tournament.

Current Situation

The century-old club is going through serious financial hardship. Since it’s split with Quess Corp, EB is without a title sponsor. The dream of playing in ISL seems to be a little distant, and I-league too seems difficult without a sponsor. East Bengal club officials are leaving no stones unturned in search of a sponsor. They are also open to a merger with any of the ISL clubs. The present seems a little murky for the club. The fire of red and gold will beat this adversity and add on to more glorious moments to its history.

Also read – http://testlab.in.net/Football-Junction/all-you-need-to-know-about-atk-mohun-bagan/