Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club is a Kolkata based football club known as one of the best football team in India. They have the record of winning the most number of IFA Shields in Indian Football and are tied with their arch rival Mohun Bagan A.C. for the most number of wins in National Football League and Durand Cup championships.
History of Kingfisher East Bengal F.C
On 28th July 1920 there was a match scheduled to be played between Mohun Bagan A.C. and Jorabagan in a Coochbehar Cup tie. But Mohun Bagam team took the field without Sailesh Bose, their star halfback. Seeing this, industrialist Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, who was also the Vice- President of Mohun Bagan A.C, pleaded with the club authorities for Sailesh Bose`s inclusion, but to no avail. Annoyed with the entire happening of events, Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri instantly cut all ties with his old club and formed a new club along with Sailesh Bose, Ramesh Chandra (Nasha) Sen, Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri and Aurobinda Ghosh. A new club by the name of East Bengal FC was set up on 1st August 1920. The name was kept as East Bengal because most of their founders hailed from that region of Bengal.
Life was never easy for East Bengal FC to start with as they had to fight and struggle in all the matches they participated in initially. But finally after lot of hardships and failures East Bengal Club came into the groove and won their first IFA Shield in 1943. In the year 1945 the club again won the IFA Shield and the Calcutta Football League. East Bengal Club happens to be the only club in Indian football circuit who, in the year 1953, was invited by Romania Youth Festival Committee to participate in their football tournament at Bucharest.
East Bengal holds the record of grabbing the Calcutta football league for 6 years in a row between 1970 and 1975. The club also have a stupendous record of pocketing 23 trophies from Indian capital New Delhi which comprises sixteen Durand Cup and seven DCM Trophy titles.
In 1970, East Bengal, in the IFA Shield final, made history by winning against Pas Club of Iran by a close margin of 1-0. That win went into the record books as the first victory by an Indian football club against foreign team, post independence. East Bengal has a fantastic record while playing against foreign clubs.
The club`s name was changed to Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club from East Bengal Club in 1998, after the producers of Kingfisher beer, the United Breweries Group became 50% stakeholder and the chief sponsor of the club.
In 2003 July, East Bengal club reached its helm in performing field. It became the first Indian football club to grab a continental competition of immense popularity, when they pocketed the LG Asean Cup played at Jakarta defeating BEC Tero Sasana in the finals. In the process they became the first Indian club to win back to back National Football League titles in 2003 and 2004.
Stadiums used by East Bengal F.C
Kingfisher East Bengal F.C mainly uses two grounds for playing purposes. They use Salt Lake Stadium and the East Bengal Ground. Currently, the Salt Lake Stadium is used for East Bengal`s I-League, AFC Cup, and Federation Cup games. The East Bengal Ground is used for the Calcutta Football League matches
Honours and Wins by East Bengal FC
Domestic Tourneys
* I-League Runners-up (1): 2010-11
* National Football League (until 2006) Winners (3): 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04 Runners-up (3): 1997-98, 1998-99, 2005-06
* Federation Cup Winners (7): 1978, 1980, 1985, 1996, 2007, 2009, 2010 Runners-up (6): 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2011
* Indian Super Cup Winners (3): 1997, 2006, 2011 Runners-up (3): 2003, 2008, 2010
* IFA Shield Winners (23): 1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 Runners-up (4): 1969, 1977, 1998, 2003
* Durand Cup Winners (15): 1951, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2004.
