Century Old Historic Rivalry: East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Lock Horns in Battle for Kolkata’s Bragging Rights

Kolkata, the mecca of Indian football, is gearing up for its first East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan match of the season. And for the unfamiliar, it is the equivalent of an ‘El Clasico’ for these historic clubs and its loud and proud fanbases.

This highly anticipated encounter will take place on Saturday 19 October at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

From a fan’s perspective, winning the Kolkata derby is a matter of pride and bragging rights. The victorious supporters proudly display their colors after the game—red and gold for East Bengal, and green and maroon for Mohun Bagan.

But the Kolkata derby was not hyped as a result of the calculated marketing we see in modern Indian football.

In fact, these two groups of supporters have been at each other’s throats for over a century. Mohun Bagan was founded in 1889, making it one of the oldest football clubs in the world. For a long time, they dominated Indian football, often rubbing shoulders with the British Raj’s favored regiment teams.

Then, in 1920, East Bengal was formed by men from the eastern part of the Bengal Province (now Bangladesh), as the name suggests. They quickly developed a large fan base and soon assembled a formidable team that began to go toe-to-toe with Mohun Bagan and the other Kolkata giant, Mohammedan Sporting.

In recent years, financial and boardroom troubles have reduced East Bengal to a shadow of its former self. However, in the Kolkata derby, the Red and Gold brigade still holds the upper hand, having won more games than Mohun Bagan.

Out of the 397 matches played between the two, East Bengal has won 141, while Mohun Bagan has secured 129 victories, with 127 matches ending in draws.

The last match between the two took place at the Salt Lake Stadium—same venue as Saturday’s game—where Mohun Bagan emerged victorious, quite comfortably.

Jason Cummings, Liston Colaco, and Dimitri Petratos each scored a goal to put the game beyond doubt, before East Bengal’s Spanish midfielder, Saul Crespo, netted a consolation goal. The final score was 3-1, and Kolkata was painted green and maroon that night.

The favorite for the first ISL clash between them on 19th will be Mohun Bagan once again, as East Bengal look to recover from what has been a shambolic start to its season.

East Bengal went all out in the summer transfer window, securing players like Dimitrios Diamantakos, Medhi Talal, Jeakson Singh, Hector Yuste, and, of course, Anwar Ali. After spending crores, the club was aiming to compete for at least a playoff spot—if not the title. However, things couldn’t have started worse for the ‘Bangal Brigade.’

Four games, four losses, and the sacking of manager Carles Cuadrat—East Bengal has had a torrid time. If they fail to win against Mohun Bagan on Saturday, fans could very well respond with whistles, boos, and some strongly worded insults—though, thankfully, the non-Bengali-speaking players might not understand them.

In contrast, Mohun Bagan has had a much better start. They’re currently fourth in the Indian Super Leage standings with two wins, a draw, and a defeat. A decent beginning, but coach Jorge Molina will be aiming higher given the club’s lofty standards and expectations.

The odds favor Mohun Bagan, but can East Bengal rise to the challenge with their backs against the wall?

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