I-League Comment: Why East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan is the most awaited tie in the Indian Football calendar

An East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan match is always one of the most anticipated match in Indian football and easily the most important game for every football fan in Kolkata.

Whether it be the local Calcutta League or the I-League, whenever the fixtures are announced, it is habitual for people to first search the list for the date of the grand old Kolkata derby. And regardless of how well either team is doing, losing a match against their fierce rivals can make life really uneasy for the staff and players of the team at the wrong end of the scoreline.

A case in point being the last match-up between the Red and Gold Brigade and the Mariners, when Trevor Morgan drew the ire of the fans after East Bengal lost against Mohun Bagan in a Calcutta Football League tie.

From being regarded as someone who could do no wrong, the English coach was almost hounded out of the club by the fans, even though the club were top of the local league!

The Importance Of The Tie Cannot Be Under-Estimated.....

To term this match as a derby just because the two teams are from the same city and are two of the most decorated clubs in Indian football would be a folly which only an outsider could make.

The rivalry between the two clubs is as much a clash of cultures as it is of ideology.

The two clubs are known to be at loggerheads ever since East Bengal was formed in 1920 by a breakaway faction of officials and athletes from Mohun Bagan, who traced their roots to the region which is now a part of Bangladesh.

Their main grouse was the discrimination and lack of opportunities for players from their part of the state with Mohun Bagan and hence had made it a point to outdo their city rivals whenever they could.

A Packed Stadium With A Brilliant Atmosphere Is The Norm...

The hatred between rival fans and interest in the match has if anything, increased as time has passed, with a crowd of more than 100,000 not an anomaly for this encounter.

Every derby match between these two sides has crowds and an atmosphere that would not only rival, but also put to shame most of the derby clashes between more fancied teams in Europe and South America.

Unfortunately blood has also been sometimes spilled in such encounters and the full strength of the Kolkata police is needed to control the crowds.

Which is why the I-League match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan on 4^th February gains even more importance.

The two clubs are placed second and third in the league with just a point between them, and as they strive to be the first Kolkata club to win the I-League and thereby the bragging rights in the long as well as short-term.

Both The Teams Are In Search Of A Win To Keep Dempo Within Touching Distance...

With Dempo already being six and seven points ahead of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, as we enter the business end of the season, a win here would not only keep the victor in touching distance of the Goan outfit, but the momentum gained from a win in such a encounter would infact catapult them firmly towards a title charge while a loss here might have an exactly opposite effect.

So with less than a day to go before East Bengal face up against Mohun Bagan at the familiar venue of the Salt Lake Stadium, the anticipation amongst fans and pundits alike is at an all-time high and it remains to be seen whether it will be the Chingri, which is the favoured dish of the Mariners faithful after a win over East Bengal, or the Red and Gold Brigade’s “Hilsa” fish which shall be out of stock in Kolkata on 5^th February, the day after the derby.

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