On 29 July 1911, the most revered moment of Indian football history and an event that played a part in the country’s struggle for Independence took place when Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan became the first all-Indian side, comprising of purely Bengalis, to win the IFA Shield beating a British side East Yorkshire Regiment in the pre-independence era. 11 men, 10 barefooted, did something unthinkable that shattered the colonised myth of ‘Indians are born to be ruled’ and especially ‘Bengalis are weak’. A result that one can only imagine in the present time.
The IFA Shield, a knockout competition back then, came into existence in 1893 four years later Mohun Bagan was founded symbolically on 15th August which became the day of India’s freedom. However, the Green and Maroons could only join or be invited to the tournament in 1909, as only British Army teams participated in the initial years and no Indian clubs were allowed. The first two years were a struggle for the team after they were eliminated in the first rounds mainly due to the physical football played by the British sides.
However, everything changed in 1911 when Mohun Bagan built a squad to match the physicality and dismantle the opposition’s style of play with the tactical set-up of a 2-3-5 formation. The side was coached by the club secretary Sailen Basu, a subedar in the British Indian Army, who made the revolutionary changes. Captained by Shibdas Bhaduri, spearheaded by Abhilash Ghosh and safe hands from Hiralal Mukherjee, the team clinched an unprecedented success.
We recall the journey Mohun Bagan took to the 1911 IFA Shield triumph:
3-0 vs St Xavier’s College - Round 1 (10 July 1911)
The Mariners began with a thrashing of St Xavier’s College containing British students by 3-0. The opposition imposed physical football to disrupt Mohun Bagan’s flow in the match and even won three penalties. As remarkable as it sounds, all the spot-kicks were saved by the goalkeeper Hiralal Mukherjee which is an unattainable feat. Bijay Das Bhaduri scored a splendid brace in the win while Abhilash Ghosh added the other one.
2-1 vs Rangers Club - Round 2 (14 July 1911)
In the second round, Mohun Bagan faced Rangers Club who got the advantage of wearing boots as it was a rainy day making it hard for the barefoot players. Only defender Sudhir Chatterjee wore boots for Mohun Bagan. Despite all the difficulties, the team raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half with two elegant finishes from the Bhaduri brothers. Hiralal became the hero again by saving yet another penalty to deny Rangers coming back into the match after they pulled one back in the second half. The victory helped them progress to the quarterfinals.
1-0 vs Rifle Brigade - Quarterfinals (19 July 1911)
By then, the heroic performance of Mohun Bagan started making rounds in people’s discussion but few predicted them to go past the last-eight stage. Rifle Bridge, an infantry Rifle regiment of the British Army, was a tough opposition and their long-passing strategy bamboozled defences so the Mariners had to be careful. Beating all odds, Bijay Das Bhaduri’s strike helped his side clinch a narrow 1-0 win to make another gigantic leap towards the title.
1-1 and 3-0 (Replay) vs Middlesex (24th and 26th July 1911)
The sternest challenge Mohun Bagan faced was in the semifinals against Middlesex, a strong side led by captain and goalkeeper Piggot carrying the experience of playing professional football in England with Portsmouth. He proved to be the obstacle for the Mariners as their relentless attack was prevented with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. As the tie-breakers were not introduced, the tie was replayed three days later. This time, Mohun Bagan made no mistake and secured a 3-0 victory giving the opposition no chance to dominate proceedings.
2-1 vs East Yorkshire Regiment (29 July 1911)
So the scene was set on 29 July 1911 with the IFA Shield final between Mohun Bagan and East Yorkshire Regiment gaining attraction like never before as 80,000 enthusiasts from Bengal and adjoining provinces flocked to the Calcutta Club Ground by special trains to witness the miraculous event of an Indian team sorting redemption against the Britishers. The ticket prices rose to Rs. 15 from the normal Rs 1 or 2. Kites, coloured in the club’s jersey, were also flown in the sky to show the score for those not attending the game on the ground or looking from afar.
The match was a tight affair as the teams entered the break with no goals, but the second half was a different story. East Yorkshire won a free-kick at the edge of the box and took it quickly before Hiralal could adjust his walls, taking a deflection off Bhuti Sukul to end in Bagan’s net. A hush fell over the ground as the cheering fans were getting nightmares of a defeat. However, Mohun Bagan did not give in and kept pushing, raising the noise levels of the crowd again. Being a true leader, Shibdas Bhaduri changed his faith in the game by switching positions with his brother Bijoy Das to fool the opposition.
The captain scored an emphatic equaliser by dribbling his way into the box and finding the net with a powerful drive. Mohun Bagan charged up and kept on piling the pressure. On the stroke of the final whistle, Shibdas turned provider for Abhilash Ghosh to knock in the winner and send everyone on the ground into pandemonium. The historic victory had major repercussions which gave a new image of Indians to its colonisers.
1911 IFA Shield Squad
Goalkeeper: Hiralal Mukherjee
Defenders: Sudhir Chatterjee, Bhuti Sukul
Midfielders: Manmohan Mukherjee, Rajen Sengupta, Nilmadhab Bhattacharya
Forwards: Kanu Roy, Habul Sarkar, Abhilash Ghosh, Bijay Das Bhaduri, Shibdas Bhaduri (Captain)
The 1911 IFA Shield win sparked more revolts and revolutionary activities in Bengal forcing the British to shift India’s capital from Kolkata, then Calcutta, to Delhi in the same year, marking a landmark event in the country’s freedom struggle. All because of the patriotism generated by a football match. Mohun Bagan, as if it were written in the stars, won the next IFA Shield in 1947 the year the nation gained its independence. The 11 warriors came to be known as the ‘Immortal XI’ and 29th July each year is remembered as ‘Mohun Bagan Day’.
