East Bengal Football Club is an Indian association football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, which competes in the top tier of Indian football. The club was formed when the vice-president of Jorabagan, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, resigned when Jorabagan sent out their starting eleven but with the notable exclusion of defender Sailesh Bose who was dropped from the squad for reasons not disclosed when they were about to face Mohun Bagan in the Coochbehar Cup Semi-Final on 28 July 1920. He along with Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, and Aurobinda Ghosh, formed East Bengal, in Jorabagan home of Suresh Chandra on 1 August 1920; 99 years ago.[1] East Bengal started playing in the Calcutta Football League 2nd division from 1921 and in 1925 they qualified for the first division for the first time and since then they have won numerous titles in Indian Football.[1]
East Bengal joined the National Football League since its inception in 1996[2] and is the only club to play all seasons till date, even after its name change to I-League in 2007.[3] East Bengal have won the National Football League thrice: 2000–01, 2002–03 and 2003–04 and became runners up 7 times, the most number of times by any Indian football club. Among other trophies, East Bengal have won the Calcutta Football League 39 times, IFA Shield 28 times, Federation Cup 8 times and the Durand Cup 16 times.[4]
Apart from domestic success, East Bengal club has been extremely successful among Indian football clubs in the international arena, having won four trophies on foreign soil including the famous ASEAN Club Championship in 2003.[5][6]
Asian Club Championship which is currently known as the AFC Champions League started in 1967. East Bengal took part in the competition twice.[29][8][14]
East Bengal qualified for the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship after winning the 1985 Federation Cup.[30] The Red and Gold brigade became the first Indian "club" to qualify for the Asian Club Championship.[29]
The format of the tournament was different with different zonal tournaments that were held and the winners of these zonal tournaments would progress into the main finals to be held in Jedah, Saudi Arabia.[6] East Bengal was part of the Central Asia Zone, and the tournament was named Coca-Cola Cup.[6] They were to face the champions of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Maldives however, the two teams from Iran and Afghanistan withdrew their names.[6] The team traveled to Colombo, Sri Lanka where the tournament was hosted and in the first game defeated the champions of Nepal, New Road Team by 7–0 to start their campaign, with forward Biswajit Bhattacharya scoring four goals in the game.[6] In the second match against the favourites Abahani Krira Chakra from Bangladesh, East Bengal managed a 1–0 victory courtesy of a solitary strike from forward Debasish Roy.[6] The next three games, East Bengal won with ease, including a 9–0 victory over Maldivian champions Club Valencia, with Debasish Roy scoring a hattrick, and thus recording the biggest margin of victory by an Indian team over any foreign opponents till date.[29] East Bengal became the champion of the tournament winning all the games, without conceding a single goal.[6] Defender Tarun Dey was awarded the Man of the Tournament award while forward Debasish Roy ended as the second top scorer with 7 goals.[6]
East Bengal qualified for the main round of the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship by winning the Coca-Cola Cup in Sri Lanka[6] and was allotted into the Group A, along with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian of Indonesia. Assistant coach Shyam Thapa took charge of the team after P. K. Banerjee had resigned from his position after the Coca-Cola Cup victory as he took over the Indian national team.[6] In the opening match, on 19 January 1986, East Bengal faced the Saudi and West Asia champions Al-Ahli and even managed to score first with Debasish Roy scoring in the 33rd minute but the Saudi team came back strong with two goals from Khaled Abu Rass as they lost 2–1.[6][8] In the second game on 21 January 1986, East Bengal faced another defeat against Indonesian and ASEAN champions Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian as they went down 2–0 and were eliminated from the tournament.[6][8]
East Bengal took part in the 1998–99 Asian Club Championship after finishing runners-up of the 1997-98 National Football League and was drawn against Chinese giants Dalian Wanda FC in the first round.[14] On 19 September 1998, East Bengal travelled to Dalian, China for the first leg of the tie and suffered a 6–0 loss, their heaviest defeat in continental competitions to this date.[29] China national team forward Wang Tao scored a hat-trick for the Chinese side.[14] In the return leg on 3 October 1998, East Bengal managed to hold on to a 0–0 draw at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri and were eliminated from the competition.[14][29]
East Bengal qualified for the 1991-92 Asian Cup Winners' Cup by winning the 1991 Durand Cup. The 1991 season also saw East Bengal, under the coaching of Syed Nayeemuddin, win the Calcutta Football League without even conceding a single goal throughout the tournament.[32]
East Bengal was drawn with Abhani KC of Bangladesh in the First Round of the tournament. In the first game away at the Bangabandhu Stadium, East Bengal drew goalless against a resolute Abahani side. In the return leg at the Salt Lake Stadium, East Bengal managed to grab a 1–0 win with Bikash Panji scoring the winner for the Red and Gold brigade.
East Bengal was drawn with Nissan FC of Japan in the Quarter Final of the tournament, who would eventually go on to become the Champions of the 1991-92 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. In the first leg at home at the Salt Lake Stadium, East Bengal was beaten 1–3 by the 1991 Emperor's Cup champions and in the return leg, East Bengal lost 4–0 to exit from the tournament.
East Bengal was drawn with Al-Zawra of Iraq in the First Round of the tournament. East Bengal defeated them 6–2 in the first leg in Kolkata with Carlton Chapman scoring a hat-trick against the Iraqi team.
East Bengal was drawn against Verdy Kawasaki of Japan in the second round of the tournament. East Bengal lost the first leg 5–2, however, shocked the Japanese Giants in the return leg and won 1–0.
After winning the 2002-03 National Football League, East Bengal FC were invited to the 2003 ASEAN Club Championship held at Jakarta, Indonesia.[33] Top clubs from South-East Asia participated in the tournament which included the favourites BEC Tero Sasana from Thailand who already reached the 2002–03 AFC Champions League Finals. The star-studded team consisted of Golden Ball winner of 2002–03 AFC Champions League - Therdsak Chaiman. Other top teams like 2002 Malaysia Super League Champions Perak FC and Liga Indonesia 2002 Champions Petrokimia Putra participated in the tournament.[34]
East Bengal FC lost the first match against the favourites BEC Tero Sasana 1–0, courtesy of a solo goal from star man Therdsak Chaiman. The Red and Gold brigade bounced back in style as they defeated Philippine Army F.C. 6–0, with Bhaichung Bhutia scoring all 6 goals, becoming the only Indian player to score a double hattrick in an International game till date.[35]
In the Quarter Finals, East Bengal FC faced Persita Tangerang of Indonesia. Goals from Bhaichung Bhutia and Bijen Singh ensured a 2–1 win for the Kolkata side. Bhaichung was again on the scoresheet when East Bengal FC faced Petrokimia Putra in the Semi-Final. The score was 1–1 after 120 minutes and the Red and Golds won 7–6 in the shootout.
On 26 July 2003, East Bengal FC made history as they defeated the favourites BEC Tero Sasana 3–1 with goals from Mike Okoro, Bhaichung Bhutia and Alvito D'Cunha, hence becoming the first Indian club to win a top-level officially recognised tournament from Foreign Soil.[36]Bhaichung Bhutia became the Top Scorer of the tournament with 9 goals. Sandip Nandy was adjudged as the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Group stage[]
Main article: 2003 ASEAN Club Championship § Group D
East Bengal faced Petrokimia Putra, who were the reigning champions of Indonesia in the Semi Finals. East Bengal won 7-6 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after Extra Time.
East Bengal faced the 2002-03 AFC Champions League finalist BEC Tero Sasana in the Final of the 2003 ASEAN Club Championship. BEC Tero Sasana defeated East Bengal 1-0 in the group stages. East Bengal shocked everyone to win the match 3-1 and create history as they became the first team from India to win any major tournament on the continental stage.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2004 AFC Cup after winning the 2002-03 NFL and were placed in Group E alongside Geylang United FC of Singapore, Negeri Sembilan FA of Malaysia and Island FC of Maldives. The Red and Gold brigade won all the first 4 games in the group stages and confirmed their place in the Quarter Finals. They set a record of winning 8 consecutive matches against foreign opposition, bettering their own record of 5 wins, back in the 1985-86 Asian Club Championship preliminary round.[37]
East Bengal FC became the first Indian team to qualify for AFC Cup Quarter Finals,[38] where they faced the eventual champions Al-Jaish SC of Syria. The Red and Gold brigade held the opponents in the first leg to a goalless draw,[39] however, the Syrian team won 3–0 at home to eliminate East Bengal from the tournament.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2005 AFC Cup after winning the 2003-04 NFL and were placed in Group B alongside Al-Faisaly of Jordan, Nebitçi Balkanabat of Turkmenistan and Muktijoddha Sangsad KS of Bangladesh. The Red and Gold brigade however could not repeat their performance from the previous season and could manage only two wins in the group stages as they finished third in the group and were eliminated. Ernest Jeremiah scored a hat-trick in the last game against Nebitçi Balkanabat as East Bengal FC won 3-2.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2008 AFC Cup after winning the 2007 Federation Cup in Ludhiana and were placed in Group B alongside Safa SC of Lebanon, Al-Wahdat of Jordan and Al-Ahli San‘a’ of Yemen. The Red and Gold brigade lost the first match to Safa SC away at the Sports City Stadium, Beirut by a solitary goal but won back to back matches, first against Al-Ahli San‘a’ at the Salt Lake Stadium courtesy of a brilliant strike by Edmilson Marques Pardal and then against Al-Wahdat away at the Prince Mohammad Stadium, Zarqa by 2-0 with strikes from Alvito D'Cunha and Ikechukwu Gift Ibe, thus becoming the first Indian club to win at away against a West Asian team. East Bengal FC however, could not win any more matches in the group stage as they finished third with 2 wins and a draw and were eliminated on goal difference.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2010 AFC Cup after winning the 2009–10 Federation Cup in Guwahati.[40] They were placed in Group D alongside Al-Ittihad of Syria, Al-Nejmeh of Lebanon and Al-Qadsia of Kuwait. East Bengal FC however, could not win any of the matches in the group stage as they finished last without any points and were eliminated.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2011 AFC Cup after winning the 2010 Federation Cup in Cuttack. They were placed in Group H alongside Chonburi of Thailand, Persipura Jayapura of Indonesia and South China of Hong Kong. The Red and Gold brigade remained unbeaten in all the three home matches, which included a very interesting 3–3 draw against South China of Hong Kong, at the Barabati Stadium, where Tolgay Ozbey scored a last minue equaliser to grab a point from the match. East Bengal FC however, failed to get a single point from the away matches as they finished last with 3 draws and 3 losses and were eliminated from the group stages.
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2012 AFC Cup after becoming the 2010–11 I-League runners-up. This was their sixth and third successive qualification into the AFC Cup. They were placed in Group B alongside Al-Oruba of Yemen, Kazma of Kuwait and Arbil SC of Iraq. East Bengal FC however, could not win any of the matches in the group stage as they finished last without any points and were eliminated.
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Kim Sang-Woo (Korea Republic)
2013 AFC Cup[]
Main article: 2013 AFC Cup
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2013 AFC Cup after winning the 2012 Federation Cup. This was East Bengal FC's seventh appearance in the AFC Cup and fourth in succession since 2009. The format of the tournament was changed and East Bengal FC was grouped with South East Asian sides. The Red and Gold brigade topped the Group without losing a single game. It included a 2–4 away victory at Singapore against Tampines Rovers FC and a 2–2 draw away against Malaysian Premier League side Selangor FA.
East Bengal FC faced Yangon United F.C. in the Round of 16 at Kolkata which they won by a 5-1 margin courtesy of a hat-trick from Chidi Edeh with Penn Orji and Mehtab Hossain scoring the other two.
The Red and Gold brigade was drawn against Semen Padang F.C. of Indonesia in the Quarter-Finals. East Bengal FC managed a 1–0 win at home i the first leg of the Quarter Final with a sublime strike from Japanese forward Ryuji Sueoka. In the second leg the Kolkata side managed a 1–1 draw after conceding early courtesy of a James Moga header goal which made East Bengal FC the first Indian team to reach the AFC Cup Semi-Finals undefeated.[41][42]
East Bengal FC was drawn against defending Champions Kuwait SC in the Semi Finals. In the first leg away at Kuwait City, the Red and Gold brigade lost 4–2, while in the second leg at Kolkata, East Bengal FC lost 0–3 with a sublime performance from the eventual player of the tournament Rosario Coutinho. This game made history as 50,000 fans packed up the Salt Lake Stadium which became the second highest ever recorded in AFC Cup history.[43]
Chidi Edeh was the top scorer for East Bengal FC as he scored 6 goals in the tournament.[44]
East Bengal FC qualified for the 2015 AFC Cup after becoming the 2013–14 I-League runners-up.[a] This was their eighth qualification into the AFC Cup. They were placed in Group F alongside Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia, Kitchee of Hong Kong and Balestier Khalsa of Singapore.
East Bengal FC managed to win the home game against Balestier Khalsa of Singapore by 3–0. The Red and Gold brigade also managed to draw both the games against Hong Kong's champions Kitchee as they ended with one win and two draws in the group stage as they finished third in the group with 5 points and were eliminated.
BTC Club Cup was organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation in aid of cyclone and flood victims. 6 teams, 3 each from Bangladesh and India participated in the tournament as follows: Brothers Union FC, Dhaka Mohammedan and Abahani KC from Bangladesh and East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting from India.[46]
East Bengal was grouped alongside Brothers Union and Dhaka Mohammedan in Group A. The Red and Gold brigade won their first match 1–0 against Brothers Union with Bikash Panji scoring the solitary goal. In the second match, East Bengal drew 1–1 against Dhaka Mohammedan and progressed into the Semi-finals where they faced Abahani Krira Chakra. Sheikh Mohammad Aslam and Rizvi Karim Rumi scored the two goals for Abahani as East Bengal lost 2–1 and crashed out of the tournament. Krishanu Dey scored a late consolation for East Bengal in the match.
East Bengal FC participated in the 1993 Wai Wai Cup held in Kathmandu, Nepal led by coach Shyamal Ghosh and captain Ilyas Pasha. East Bengal FC topped the Group stage, then went on to defeat Terengganu F.C. of Malaysia in the Semi Final and made history as they defeated RCT 1–0 in the Final to become the Champions. This was for the first time, East Bengal FC won a tournament outside Indian soil, and only the second Indian team to do so after Mohammedan Sporting.[47]
East Bengal FC participated in the 1996 Coca-Cola International Cup held in Nepal and were grouped alongside Sankata Boys and Tribhuvan Club. In the first game, East Bengal lost 2–1 against Sankata Boys but came back strong in the next match against Tribhuvan Club to win 2–1 with Tausif Jamal and Latvian attacker Sergei Kutov scoring for the Red and Gold brigade and securing a place in the Semi-finals. In the Semi-final, East Bengal faced Manang Marshyangdi and lost 2–0 to exit from the tournament.
East Bengal Football Club took part in the inaugural Bangabandhu Cup held in Dhaka, Bangladesh between 31 December 1996 to 10 January 1997. A total of 12 teams from various nations participated in the tournament which included hosts Dhaka Mohammedan, Abahani Limited, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC from Bangladesh, Mohammedan Sporting from India, PSM Makassar from Indonesia, Bargh Shiraz from Iran, Malaysia Red and Malaysia Blue, Cosmos Club from Russia, Friends Club from Nepal and Eastern All Star FC from Thailand.[24]
East Bengal was slotted into Group B alongside Dhaka Mohammedan and Friends Club from Nepal. In the opening game, East Bengal lost 1–0 to Friends Club and made their chances of progressing into the Semi-finals challenging. In the second game of the group where East Bengal had to win, they again failed and lost 1–3 to the hosts Dhaka Mohammedan and crashed out of the tournament without a single point.
The San Miguell International Cup 2004 was held at the Dasrath Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal. The tournament featured 6 teams, incl. India's East Bengal Club and Tollygunge Agragami.[48]
East Bengal FC participated in the BTV Becamex IDC Cup held at the Gò Đậu Stadium, Thu Dau Mot as a pre-season rehearsal for the 2011-12 I-League. However, they failed to win any of the games and returned from the group stages.[49]
East Bengal FC participated in the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in 2015 along with city-rivals Mohammedan Sporting, as a pre-season rehearsal for the 2015-16 I-League. East Bengal FC topped the group stages with 7 points, and went on to defeat Dhaka Mohammedan in the Semi-Finals. However, they faced an upset as hosts Chittagong Abahani, whom they defeated in the group stages, came from 1-0 down to win the Final by 3–1.[50]East Bengal FC became the Runners-up in the very first Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup tournament.[51]
After winning the IFA Shield 3 times in a row from 1949–1951, East Bengal FC was invited at the World Youth Congress held at Bucharest, Romania in 1953 where they became 4th after losing out to hosts Romania in the Semi Finals. East Bengal FC became the first-ever Indian team to tour Europe.[52]
After becoming back to back National Football League champions in 2003 and 2004, East Bengal FC was invited at the 120th Anniversary Quadrangular Tournament of Leicester City F.C. in England. Other 2 clubs being Real Mallorca of Spain and C.S. Marítimo of Portugal. East Bengal FC fought neck to neck against the English Premier League side and lost to a solitary goal from a penalty kick at the 69th minute. East Bengal FC was denied a penalty after Bhaichung Bhutia was brought down inside the box in the second half.[53]
In the 3rd Place game, East Bengal FC lost 3-0 to Portuguese Primeira Liga side C.S. Marítimo.
Pre-Independence, although they had toured Burma earlier back in 1932, however, then Burma used to be part of the British India, hence this can be traced back as the very first International tour East Bengal club made.[54]}[55] Led by captain Dulal Banerjee in the absence of Paresh Majumdar, the East Bengal team along with their manager J. N. Mukherjee traveled to Rangoon in October 1937. At first, they were supposed to play 3 friendly exhibition matches, however, later, on the demands of the crowd, the East Bengal team played five matches in their maiden international tour. East Bengal won two, lost two, and drew the other among the five matches they played in the tour.[54][56]
On 13th October 1937, East Bengal played their first game against the Burmese XI at the BAA Ground and suffered a heavy defeat by 6–0 to the home side. However, East Bengal came back strong in the second match on 15th October against Burmese XI (Reserves) and won by 2–1 with a brace from N. Majumdar. Fred Pugsley scored the only goal for the home team. In the third match on 18th October, East Bengal avenged their defeat from the first match against the Burmese Xi as they won 4–2. Right-out Samad opened the scoring for East Bengal and then Murgesh scored a brace. The Burmese XI had reduced the margin through a penalty just before halftime from a penalty kick by Wellin, but East Bengal scored once again after the break, through Left-inside forward Joseph to restore the three-goal lead. Ba Thaung scored a late consolation for the home team. East Bengal played two more exhibition games at the request of the Burmese crowd, out of which they lost 1–0 in one game and the other finished goalless as they concluded their tour and returned back to Calcutta.[54][55][56]
After the great performance at the 1953 World Youth Festival in Bucharest, East Bengal FC was invited to play a series of games by the Soviet Union.[57]East Bengal FC travelled directly to Moscow where they played a 3–3 draw against FC Torpedo Moscow which had a fully packed stadium and the game was shown live on television. Venkatesh scored twice and Thangaraj scored for the Red and Golds as they managed a draw against the 1952 Soviet Cup winners. East Bengal FC players could not cope up with the extreme climate and fatigue of the tour took a toll as they lost the next three games 9–1 against FC Dinamo Tbilisi at Tbilisi, 13–1 against FC Dynamo Kyiv at Keiv and 6–0 against FC Dynamo Moscow back in Moscow.
In 2009, under coach Subhash Bhowmick, East Bengal FC toured Myanmar in August for a set of friendlies as a part of their pre-season campaign after a heavy training camp in Puri, Odisha. The Red and Gold brigade had imported players like Jan Berger, Omar Sebastián Monesterolo and Ramez Dayoub, however, the latter could not be a part of the team since his previous club Safa SC denied transfer clearance.[58]
East Bengal played 4 friendly games in Myanmar against Myanmar National League teams, in which they won 2, drew 1 and lost 1 before returning to Kolkata.[59]
In 2018, under coach Alejandro Menendez, East Bengal FC toured to Malaysia for their pre-season campaign before the start of the 2018-19 I-League.[60] In a span of 3 weeks, East Bengal FC trained at the MSN Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur and played a set of 5 friendly matches against Malaysia Premier League and Malaysia Super League teams in which the Red and Gold Brigade won 3, drew 1 and one of the matches were abandoned due to excessive rainfall.[61]
East Bengal
New Road Team
Club Valencia
Al-Zawra'a SC
Philippine Army FC
Nebitçi Balkanabat
Yangon United
Abahani Krira Chakra
Saunders SC
PIA FC
Afghanistan and 
Iran champions withdrew.
Al-Ahli Jeddah
Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian
Nissan FC 
South China 
Geylang United FC
Negeri Sembilan FA
Al-Jaish 
Al-Faisaly (Amman)
Safa
Al-Ahli San‘a’
Al-Qadsia
Sài Gòn Xuân Thành
89
De Spin Ghar Bazan F.C.
East Bengal 
