The Immortal Eleven of Mohun Bagan
The Greatest Sports Story You Have Never Heard Of
July 29, 1911, the day an oppressed group of young men shocked an Empire. The Indian Football Association Shield, or simply the IFA Shield is one of the oldest football competitions in the world. Started by British colonizers and military officials in India, it has witnessed many magical moments in its esteemed history. However, there was one moment specifically which may be Indian Football’s greatest.
One hundred thousand people traveled from all over Bengal to the Calcutta Football Ground. Trains and infrastructure had to be specifically built and set up for this event. The might East Yorkshire Regiment faced off against the barefoot boys from a twenty two year old football club named Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Sailen Basu, the club’s secretary and a soldier in the British Indian forces, coached the side with strict military discipline and conditioning. Basu’s methods caused the club to routinely beat both British regimental and club sides. There efforts earned them invitations to the IFA Shield tournament, starting in 1909.
In their 1911 campaign MB used the pyramid formation, a 2–3–5. The team’s key players were the pivotal center half Rajendranath Sengupta, and striker captain Shibdas Bhaduri.
The Mariners swept aside St. Xavier’s 3–0 to begin their IFA Shield campaign on July 10, 1911. Four days later, thanks to the heroic goalkeeper Hiralal Mukherjee, Mohun Bagan held on to a 2–1 lead to beat Rangers FC. The quarterfinal saw the Kolkata club fight it out in an evenly contested match against Rifle Bridge, 1–0. The Semifinal ended in a draw against Middlesex Regiment. A replay the very next day saw captain Shibdas Bhaduri, inside right forward Shirishchandra Sarkar, and right winger Jitendranath Roy score a goal each to seal a 3–0 domination.
One hundred thousand people packed the Calcutta Football Ground, that fateful day, flying kites in club colors with the game’s score written on them. The first half against East Yorkshire Regiment saw a nil-nil affair. With fifteen minutes to go in the second half, East Yorkshire’s Sergeant Jackson scored to give the British the lead. This seemingly ended the cautious tactical war between the two sides, as the Mariners pounced immediately to score with striker Bhaduri. The skipper’s goal was the fuse which lit an explosion of maroon and green kites in the sky as the fans exploded with emotions. A few minutes later, the full-throttle attacking barefoot Indians scored with powerful forward Abhilash Ghosh. A hundred thousand fans, an entire oppressed people, exploded as the slaves of an empire destroyed her regiments in a sport she invented.
Mohun Bagan became symbols of hope and freedom within a matter of minutes, and the first all Indian side to take the Shield. The players who took part in that glorious match became the legend known as The Immortal Eleven, heroes of a suppressed nation and icons of football history. Achintya Kumar Sengupta wrote, “Mohun Bagan is not a football team. It is an oppressed country, rolling in the dust, which has just started to rise its head.”
Never forget The Immortal Eleven, champions of the oppressed.
