The West Bengal football team (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ ফুটবল দল), also known as IFA Bengal football team or earlier the Bengal football team, is an Indian football team representing West Bengal in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.[1] They were the second Indian team to participate in the continental top tier tournament – Asian Champion Club Tournament, by playing in the 1970 edition following Mysore in 1969.[2]
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Full name | West Bengal football team | ||
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Gegründet | 1941 (as Bengal football team) | ||
Ground | Salt Lake Stadium | ||
Capacity | 68,000 | ||
Owner | Indian Football Association | ||
Head coach | Biswajit Bhattacharya | ||
League | Santosh Trophy | ||
2023–24 | Group stage | ||
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History
editBengal made its debut in the national competitions at the 1941–42 Santosh Trophy. West Bengal have appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals 45 times, having won 32 titles,[3] the most by any team. Managed by Balaidas Chatterjee, the team won six Santosh Trophy titles between 1949 and 1959.[4] In 1962, former Indian captain Samar Banerjee guided Bengal winning the trophy.[5]
Prior to 2003, the team competed as "Bengal football team".[6][7] On 16 August 2021, West Bengal played a friendly match against India national team at the Salt Lake Stadium and it was won by India by 1–0.[8] In October 2022, West Bengal managed by Biswajit Bhattacharya clinched gold at the 36th National Games of India, defeating Kerala 5–0 in final.[9][10][11]
Team
editThe following 22 players were called up prior to the 2022–23 Santosh Trophy qualification round.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
edit- Santosh Trophy[12]
- Winners (32): 1941–42, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83 (Shared with Goa), 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17
- Runners-up (14): 1944–45, 1946–47, 1952–53, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1974–75, 1985–86, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2017–18, 2021–22
- B.C. Roy Trophy
- Winners (18): 1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2024–25[13]
- Runners-up (9): 1975–76, 1987–88, 1999–00, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2017–18, 2023–24
- Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy
- Winners (12): 1965–66, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2015–16
- Runners-up (7): 1987–88, 1988–89, 1996–97, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09
- M. Dutta Ray Trophy
- Winners (6): 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005
- Runners-up (7): 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003
Stadiums and grounds
editThe league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums and Grounds:
- capacity of around 85000
- Important matches of Local League, Shield, I-League and International Matches are played here.
- Capacity around 20,000 and Flood Light
- Matches of Local League, Shield are played here. It is also used for holding I-League matches also.
- Present capacity is only around 10,000. But ground condition is extremely good.
- Some important CFL matches and IFA Shield are played here.
- Capacity around 22,000.
- Important League & Shield matches are played here.
- Full capacity of these ground are 23,500, 22,000 and 15,000 respectively. All the grounds have floodlight facilities.
- Most of the League Matches of Premier League and First Division are played here. But these grounds are available for Football only during the period from 16 May to 10 January every year.
- 10 Open Grounds in the Maidan
- Only matches of Junior Division and other ordinary competitions are played here. These grounds are available for football only during the period from 16 May to 30 September every year.
- Besides the above-mentioned grounds and stadium, infrastructure of SAI i.e. Sports Authority of India, Kishore Bharati Krirangan are also used.
- Grounds available at various places in Kolkata and Howrah are used for conducting Nursery League Matches. Besides above, small stadiums are also available in almost all the Districts towns and some Sub Divisions. Most important and mentionable stadium is at Siliguri – Kanchenjunga Stadium, where International Tournament like Jawaharlal Nehru Cup was also played. Khardah, Kalyani, Burdwan, Durgapur, Midnapur, Haldia, Malda, Raigunje, Balurghat and a few other District Towns also have Stadium.
- Indoor Stadium
- Netaji Indoor Stadium (AC), Kolkata- Capacity 12,000.
Salt Lake Stadium
editYuva Bharati Krirangan (Bengali: যুবভারতী ক্রীড়াঙ্গন, English: Stadium of the Indian Youth), commonly known as Salt Lake Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal. It is currently used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000[14] people in a three-tier configuration.
It is situated approximately 10 km to the east of the Kolkata downtown and is elliptical in shape. The roof is made of metal tubes and aluminium sheets and concrete. There are two electronic score boards and control rooms. The lighting is uniformly distributed to facilitate nocturnal sports. There are special arrangements for TV broadcasting.
The stadium covers an area of 76.40 acres (309,200 m2). It was inaugurated in January 1984. The salient features of the stadium are unique synthetic track for athletic meets, electronic scoreboard, main football arena measuring 105m x 70m, elevators, VIP enclosures, peripheral floodlighting arrangement from the roof-top, air conditioned VIP rest room and Conference Hall. Other features of the stadium are also commentary boxes for All India Radio and TV along with several platforms for TV cameras, press boxes, dormitories and AC. rooms, player's changing rooms, practice grounds for football, cricket and kho kho, volleyball field and an ultra-medium gymnasium. The stadium has its own water arrangements and standby diesel generation sets.
The floodlights which illuminate the stadium consist of 624 bulbs of 2 kW each and two electronic scoreboards consisting of 36,000 bulbs of 25 watt each. The four underground reservoirs have unique fire-fighting arrangements with a capacity of 10,000 gallons. The architectural and structural design of the stadium was the work of the Joint Consultants viz., M/S. Ballardie, Thompson & Matthews Pvt. Ltd. and M/S. H.K. Sen & Associates – both from Kolkata, West Bengal. The track was prepared by Reckortan Tartan Track, Germany. The electronic scoreboards were supplied by Electro Impex of Hungary.
After its inauguration in January 1984 with the Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup Soccer Tournament, the Salt Lake Stadium has hosted several important international tournaments or matches such as The Pre-World Cup Tournament in 1985, Super-Soccers in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1994, 3rd S.A.F. games in 1987, U.S.S.R. Festival in 1988, Charminar Challenger Trophy in 1992, Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup in 1995. The chief engineer of the stadium is Somnath Ghosh.
The stadium also hosts different kinds of cultural programs such as dance and music concerts.
Performance in AFC competitions
edit- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
Notable players
editBelow the players, are notable footballers who represented the West Bengal football team.
Sponsors
editSponsor type | Sponsor's name |
---|---|
Sponsor | DTDC |
Co-Sponsor | |
Kit Sponsor | Cosco |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ Mukherjee, Soham; Easwar, Nisanth V (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". goal.com. Goal. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Another Santosh feather in Bengal's cap". The All India Football Federation. 9 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Mohun Bagan Ratna — Late Balaidas Chatterjee to receive the award posthumously". www.mohunbaganac.com. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "India's star Olympic football captain Samar 'Badru' Banerjee dies". The Times of India. Kolkata, West Bengal: Press Trust of India. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Wadwha, Arjun (19 May 2008). "History of Football in India". thesportscampus.com. TheSportsCampus. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ "Farukh Choudhary, Ishan Pandita guide India to 2-0 win over Mohammedan SC". Khel Now. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Ghoshal, Deepankar (10 October 2022). "National Games 2022: The glory of a group of hard-working footballers awaits the trophy at the Bengal National Games". newswaali.com. Kolkata: News Waali. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022.
- ^ List of Santosh Trophy Finals
- ^ "Indian Football Association". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "East Bengal Football Club". Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- ^ Mulcahy, Enda. "Asian Club Competitions 1970". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Indian Legendary Football Players Profile: SAILEN MANNA — LIVING LEGEND OF INDIAN FOOTBALL". www.kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Chuni Goswami Profile". IloveIndia.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "PUGSLEY". East Bengal the Real Power. 13 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ soumen78 (31 March 2016). "List of Foreign Players to Play for East Bengal Club from 1942 – East Bengal Club, India – Records, Funs and Facts". Eastbengalclubrecords.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1958 Tokyo Archived 5 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Osman Jan, Delhi's Santosh trophy hero who also captained Pakistan". ThePrint. New Delhi. ANI. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Chakraborty, Sruti (24 February 2023). "Balai Dey: The man who connects India, Pakistan and the Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ ETV Bharat News Desk, West Bengal, 12:56 PM IST (16 June 2019). "ভারত-পাকিস্তানের জার্সি গায়ে মাঠে নেমেছিলেন বলাই দে [Balai Dey, who played for both the India and Pakistan]". www.etvbharat.com (in Bengali). ETV Network. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Das, Rudra Narayan (29 November 2011). "Player Biography : Shabbir Ali – Only Footballer To Win Dhyan Chand Award". indianfooty.net. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "India's star Olympic football captain Samar 'Badru' Banerjee dies". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Kolkata, West Bengal: The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ Singh, Ujwal (12 August 2020). "Past Masters of Indian Sports: Jarnail Singh Dhillon, the hard tackler who many consider the all-time best Indian defender". Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
Further reading
edit- Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006). A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score. Routledge. ISBN 9780415348355. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021.
- Basu, Jaydeep (2003). Stories from Indian Football. UBS Publishers' Distributors. ISBN 9788174764546. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022.
- "Regionalism and club domination: Growth of rival centres of footballing excellence". Soccer & Society. 6:2–3 (2–3). Taylor & Francis: 227–256. 6 August 2006. doi:10.1080/14660970500106410. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
External links
edit- West Bengal football association website (Indian Football Association)
- West Bengal football team at Global Sports Archive