Mohun Bagan are one of Asia’s oldest clubs having been inaugurated in 1889 in the city then known under its anglicised name, Calcutta. The significant British influence in what was, until 1911, the nation’s capital, ensured the game flourished, drawing players from other regions, and it is against this backdrop in which today’s rivalry took root.
Like many great rivalries a schism, albeit in this case an indirect one, led to the birth of a local challenger. In mid-1920, the Jora Bagan club took to the field against Mohun Bagan without star Sailesh Bose, much to the chagrin of club vice-president Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri. Such was the industrialist's displeasure, he decided to form a new club and East Bengal was born. As Chaudhuri and his co-founders hailed from East Bengal, essentially now modern-day Bangladesh, the club were traditionally supported by immigrants from that area. This resulted in the clubs being backed by two different socio-economic groups, although this has largely changed over the decades.
The first major meeting between the two clubs occurred in 1925 and resulted in a 1-0 win for East Bengal in a Calcutta League match. The result was repeated when the pair met for the first time in the prestigious IFA (Indian Football Association) Shield in 1944. East Bengal’s semi-final triumph was all the more poignant due to Mohun Bagan’s historic and deep-seated affiliation with the tournament.
The Green and Maroons had lifted the Shield for the first time in 1911, defeating the East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1, the first win for an Indian team over European opposition. The match is considered a sporting milestone in India’s struggle for autonomy, and the anniversary of the win is celebrated annually on 29 July with Mohun Bagan Day. Such is the significance of the result, a postage stamp was issued by the Indian government in 1989 during the club's centenary year to commemorate the victory.
Facts and figures
Though exact figures are disputed, East Bengal boast a clear winning margin over their city neighbours, despite Mohun Bagan more than holding their own in recent years. In modern times, iconic India international Baichung Bhutia has tallied the most goals in derby matches, with the diminutive forward transcending the city’s football divide by representing both clubs. His hat-trick in a famous match in 1997 was the only contemporary treble until the feat was eclipsed by Nigerian Edeh Chidi in 2009, who not only became the first foreign player to score a treble in the Kolkata derby, but became the first player in its history to score four goals in a single encounter.
