Indian Football : BREAKING NEWS (27th February, 2012) : Legendary Sailen Manna Passes Away

Legendary Mohun Bagan and India full-back Sailen Manna passed away early morning in Kolkata. Manna was Indian captain when India won gold in Asian Games in 1951 and was an ever-present figure in India and Mohun Bagan in late 40s, early 50s. He was selected as one of the best captains in world football by English FA in 1953 and was also honoured by the award of “Best Indian Players of 20th century” by AIFF.

Arunava Chaudhuri reports
“The Northeastern state of Nagaland will from next month onwards have its own Nagaland Premier League. The NPL will kick-off on March 2 with an exhibition match between a Nagaland XI and I-League side Shillong Lajong FC at the Kohima football ground from 2 pm onwards. The chief guest on the occasion will be the Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio with other state ministers to grace the occasion.
The NPL is being organised by the Nagaland Football Association together with the local Dimapur-based sports management agency Four Four Two Management with the aim of the league being to develop the game of football and footballers in the state. With an enormous amount of untapped talent, the NPL will groom players from a young age and give them a platform to grow and later move on to bigger arenas.
In total 10 teams from across the state would be seen in action – Barak Flamingos FC (Peren), Dimapur United FC, Doyang FC (Wokha), Dynamic FC (Dimapur), FC Naga Tornadoes (Zunheboto), Kohima Komets, Life Sports FC (Kohima), New Market FC (Kohima), Sangpang FC (Mokokchung), Zopipang FC (Mokokchung). Some clubs have given themselves new creative names and designed new logos for their teams.”

 Arjun Chatterjee scored the only goal from a Yakubu pass as Prayag United defeated Aryan Club 1-0. Meanwhile Mohun Bagan and East Bengal’s KFL matches have been postponed because of security issues. As of now, there is a cloud of uncertainity as to when KFL will actually end.

G-Group Football Academy was launched in Konnagar, West Bengal on Sunday. AIFF Vice-President Subrata Dutta was present in the inauguration ceremony where G Groups footballers played an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan-SAIL Academy. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Trijit Das, former footballer, will be the Technical Director of this Academy whose main aim is to groom local players from West Bengal. Click here to see more details.

ESPN-Star has published an article on Tulsidas Balaram titled “The Original Golden Boot of India”.
Click here to read TheHardTackle’s tribute to Balaram.

Cresson Antao scored late, late goal to deny Churchill Brothers the Goan title on Sunday. Churchill Brothers led 1-0 thanks to a Antchouet goal before Antao scored on 93rd minute. With this victory Churchill Brothers have collected 24 points but have played all their matches. Salgaocar and Dempo are on 22 points and still have a game in hand. The league will be decided on 29th February when Salgaocar play Sporting Clube de Goa and Dempo take on Vasco. Victorino Fernandes scored a brace as Sporting beat Vasco 2-1 in another match with Menino Fernandes scoring a consolation goal for the losing side.

I-League Division Two Fixtures are out. 7 teams will be playing each other between 5th March and 2nd April. The matches will be played in a two legged home-away format though all matches will be held in Siliguri and Gangtok. Click here to see to complete list.

Immortal XI – Remembering Green and Maroon legends

On 29^th July, 1911, eleven Indian players created history by winning the IFA Shield. That triumph was unarguably one of the finest moments in Indian football history. Mohun Bagan had cemented its position as more than just a football club. On that day the Green and Maroon brigade had turned into an institution, an emblem of nationalistic struggle.

99 years on, the club embarks on a year long celebration to honor the players dubbed as the “Immortal XI”. It starts from 29^th July, 2010 to 29^th July 2011. The Day is celebrated as “Mohun Bagan Day” across the world. 

We take a look at the eleven brave hearts that created history 99 years ago. 

Hiralal Mukherjee (Goal-keeper)

Mukherjee was arguably the most crucial player in the team. Born in 1886, he hailed from the Baghbazar area in North Kolkata. When he started playing football, he never had a fixed position, often playing as a right-back. He joined Bagan in 1906. He was advised by Sailen Basu, an official, to take up the spot between the posts. Like most goal-keepers of that era, he was characterized by his ability to weather the storm of opposition strikers’ tackles. He was often beaten black and blue by British forwards, but he never spilled the ball in such circumstances. Against Rangers FC, Mukherjee saved three penalties and kept Bagan in the tournament. 

He was a popular player till he passed away in 1962. 

Bhuti Sukul (Right-Back) 

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Sukul was the only non-Bengali member of the Immortal XI. Born in 1889, he was one of the eminent defenders of that era. Blessed with a tall physique, Sukul had good heading and tackling ability. He played in Mohun Bagan till 1918. He passed away in 1943. 

Sudhir Chatterjee (Left-Back) 

Reverend Sudhir Chatterjee was the only footballer in the 1911 team who wore boots. Born in 1883, he joined the Green and Maroon ranks in 1904. He formed a solid defensive partnership with Sukul. His game reading and ability to anticipate opposition attacks made him an invaluable partner to Sukul’s tackling ability. 

His football career was not a lengthy one; an injury ended it in 1914. After leaving the game he became a celebrated academic as established educational institutions. His love for the game and Mohun Bagan remained undiminished. He was the only surviving member of the 1911 team when the club celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 1964. He passed away in 1966. 

Manmohan Mukherjee (Right-Half) 

Manmohan was one of the most versatile players in the Mohun Bagan team. Despite being fielded as a right-half, whose main function was to shield the defence, Mukherjee used to go on regular overlaps. He was renowned as a snatcher; the British nicknamed him “Terrier” for his uncompromising play. 

Manmohan Mukherjee was born in 1883. Bijoydas Bhaduri gave him the opportunity to don the green and maroon jersey. He was an employee in the British-ran-PWD in Bengal. He lied to his British boss on the day of the final citing urgent problems at home, he left work and went off to play the final. A British officer might not have given him the permission to play against a British team; therefore Mukherjee lied to get a leave. His son, Bimal, captained Bagan’s first ever Calcutta League winning team. Mukherjee passed away in 1948. 

Nilmadhab Bhattacharya (Left-Half) 

He was the most elegant and skillful player in the Immortal XI. Nilmadhab was a man well known for both his skills as well as sense of humour. Born in 1888, he was a player who could hold up the ball and find his team mates with incisive passes. He passed away in 1951. 

Rajendranath Sengupta (Centre-Half) 

Born in 1892, Sengupta was the youngest member of the Shield winning team. In the days of classical 2-3-5, centre-half was probably the most crucial position. It was a position that often made the difference between a win and a loss. Playing at such a crucial position, despite his inexperience, is a testament to his supreme ability. 

He was never daunted by his small stature. Excellent fitness and a never say die attitude, were two of the sharpest weapons in his armoury. After leaving the game he was a part of Indian Radio and did live commentary. He passed away in 1948. 

Jatindranath “Kanu” Roy (Right-Out) 

Kanu Roy was another ‘flair player’ of the team. He was a wonderful ball-distributor. He was a good finisher and scored a goal in the Shield semi-final against Middlesex. Besides being a footballer per-extraordinaire he was also adept in other sports like hockey and cricket. He was born in 1890 and breathed his last in 1962. 

Srischanda “Habul” Sarkar (Right-In) 

Habul Sarkar joined Mohun Bagan in 1909. He started out as a centre-half but later switched to right-in. He had an uncanny ability to score goals out of the blue. He scored the 2^nd goal in a 3-0 mauling of Middlesex Regiment in the semi-final. 

Abhilas Ghosh (Centre-Forward) 

The focal point of all Mohun Bagan attacks was the man nicknamed as “Black Devil”. His biggest strength was his bullish stature. In the semi-final, the goalkeeper of Middlesex left the field after he got injured due to a clash with Ghosh. He was also responsible for scoring the most famous goal in Bagan’s history. 

The score in the Shield final was 1-1 at that time, with the clock running down; Ghosh tore through the East Yorkshire defence. He made no mistakes with the finish, sending the 80,000 strong crowds into hysterical celebrations. He also scored the first goal of the Shield campaign in 1911. 

In 1955, while he was in sickbed there was an urgent need of blood. Legend has it that hundreds of Green and Maroon fanatics gathered to donate blood for him. 

Bijoydas Bhaduri (Left-In) 

Aged 30, Bijoydas Bhaduri was the oldest member of the Immortal XI. He was one of the best dribblers in early Indian football. He was equally adept in both right-in as well as left-in positions. He was the elder brother of captain Shibdas Bhaduri. 

Shibdas Bhaduri (Left-Out) 

The legendary leader of the legendary team; arguably the most important player of the Immortal XI. Shibdas can very well be marked out as the reason why Bagan won the title. The whole team was de-motivated when East York took the lead in the final. British supporters in the stand were celebrating. It was Bhaduri who scored the crucial equalizer. And his goal was a brilliant individual effort- a goal which lifted the entire arena as well as his team. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, Bhaduri was the man of the moment. He was responsible for the winner as well. He was the one who dodged past defenders and laid a perfect ball for Abhilas Ghosh to finish. 

Shibdas Bhaduri was a man of sublime skills; he was nicknamed as “Pichol Babu” (Slippery Man) because of his ability to get past defenders. His contemporaries swore by his name as the best player that they had ever seen. His contribution to the club as well as football in general is everlasting. Shibdas Bhaduri also scored ten goals in second division league in 1914. His tally propelled Bagan to qualify for first division of the Calcutta Football League. In 1905, he scored four goals in the Gladstone Cup Final as Bagan beat Dalhousie 5-0. 

Shibdas Bhaduri has a street named after him in North Kolkata. His contributions were honoured by the club when the Mohun Bagan Ratna was bestowed upon him in 2003. He was the first player of the Immortal XI to get this award. 

This year, each of the remaining ten members of the team was given the Mohun Bagan Ratna in a grand ceremony. Descendants of the players were invited to Mohun Bagan day celebrations and received the award on behalf of the players. Sadly, Bhuti Sukul’s relatives could not be traced. 

A film “Egaro” (Eleven) is under production currently. It will depict the epic battle of the barefooted players. Mohun Bagan is taking concrete steps to ensure that these eleven player are never forgotten, the Immortal XI will always remain etched in memory of the masses. 

Chidi On The Double' For Bagan

KOLKATA: For the third time in as many matches Mohun Bagan striker Edeh Chidi netted a brace to help his team record a facile 2-0 win over AIFF XI in an 11th-round I-League encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. After a miserable start to their league campaign, Bagan appear to have turned the corner having secured nine points from their last three matches. It moved them up to the fifth spot with 17 points from 11 games, while. the AIFF XI remained on 10 points. For the record, the youngsters are yet to net a single point away from their home ground in Gurgaon, having lost their fifth away match on Sunday.

With Jose Ramirez Barreto given a break', Subair Muritala Ali paired up with Chidi up front and the green and maroons looked to be on the ball in the initial stages, especially with skipper Ishfaq Ahmed delivering some fine crosses from the left channel.

In the eighth minute, Chidi moved into the box and got past a defender but shot straight into the rival custodian Jagroop Singh. Three minutes later, the Nigerian, who was bereaved last week, put his team ahead. This time he sprinted down the pitch to get hold of a long through ball by Ishfaq, beat his marker with clever acceleration before finding the net with an angular drive that beat Jagroop all ends up. 

Celebration

The early lead, however, failed to spur Bagan. Quite incredulously, they lost the momentum, allowing the national U-21 side to go on the offensive. They ease with which they managed to prise open the Bagan defence repeatedly exposed the green and maroons' vulnerability and had fans praying for early induction of two national defenders Deepak Mondal and Anwar Ali who have been snapped up by the club.

In spite of earning a number of corner kicks and long and powerful throw-ins by Raju Gaekwad and Vishal Kumar, the AIFF forwards Jeje Lalpekhlua and Malswamfela failed to make them count.

Bagan technical director Subhas Bhowmick re-organized his side and they came out stronger after the break and dominated the proceedings. Muritala should have doubled Bagan's lead right after the re-start, but his poke off a Chidi delivery sailed over the bar, and then he headed wide of the target off an inch-perfect cross essayed by his strike partner with the goalkeeper beaten. In-between, Jagroop did well to keep away a brilliant curling shot by Ishfaq.

Chidi scored his sixth goal in three matches when he got behind the rival wall to control a Manish Mathani through and placed it past the approaching Jagroop in the 82nd minute to seal three well-deserved points.