IFA Shield

Organising body IFA
Founded 1893 (1893)
Region  India
Number of teams 10
Current champions India Tata Football Academy
Most successful club(s) India East Bengal (29 times)
Television broadcasters Kolkata TV
Website ifawb.com
2016 IFA Shield

The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The Indian Football Association is the association governing football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the Association, the IFA Shield Tournament was started in the same year. It is India's one of the oldest football tournament and the fourth oldest Cup in the world. During the initial years after its inception, the IFA Shield was dominated by British army teams. However, their stranglehold over the Shield was broken in 1911, when Mohun Bagan Athletic Club became the first Indian team to win the IFA Shield by defeating East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1. That was a historic moment for Indian football, as the natives beat the Englishmen at their own game. East Bengal F.C. has won the IFA Shield 29 times, while their archrivals - Mohun Bagan has bagged the honour 22 times.

The IFA Shield is designed as an under-19 youth football tournament since 2015.[1] The decision was taken by IFA due to busy schedule of All India Football Federation which includes Indian Super League, I-League and Federation Cup.

Origin of IFA Shield (The Raj Era)

The origin of organized football in India can be traced back to one Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari. After learning about rules of the game from English soldiers, Sarbadhichari made efforts to spread the game among masses. He popularized football in Hare School, one of the premier educational institutions in Calcutta. Later he founded “Boys Club”, which was the first attempt to set up a football club in India. In 1893, the Indian Football Association (IFA) was formed. IFA Shield was started in 1893, making it the 4th oldest football competition in history. Curiously, Indians were not allowed to join in the Indian football federation for till 1920s. IFA consisted of high-ranking British army officials, while football tournaments usually included British regiment teams.[2]

First Indian team (Mohun Bagan) to win IFA Shield.

In the late 1890s, numerous football clubs came up which were managed by Indians and employed Indian footballers. Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan S.C. or Aryan Club were still in their nascent stages and rarely challenged the regimental teams. First significant success for an Indian team came in 1892 when Sovabazar Club captured Trades Cup. Nineteen years later, eleven Bengali players donning the Green and Maroon jersey would go on to create history.

Mohun Bagan’s 2-1 win over East Yorkshire Regiment in 1911 IFA Shield final was undoubtedly the biggest pivotal moment in Indian football.[2] It established football as the most popular game in Bengal – this was a game where Indians could compete with British overlords and trump them. 80,000 people wildly cheered Mohun Bagan during the final match. Iconic Bagan captain Shibdas Bhaduri played a crucial role scoring a goal and assisting Abhilas Ghosh’s winner.

Mohun Bagan might have created history by winning the IFA Shield in 1911 but further success eluded them. Instead, it was the black and white clad Mohammedan S.C. which would go on to become the first Indian club to sustain a successful run. Mohammedan S.C.’s legendary team of late 1930s was invincible and went on to create records which lasted for decades. Mohammedan S.C. won its first IFA Shield in 1936 and became the first Indian club to defend the Shield successfully in 1942. Aryan Club became the third Indian club to win IFA Shield in 1940, while East Bengal captured its first Shield title in 1943. 1945 saw the first Kolkata Derby in a Shield Final – East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan 1-0. Mohun Bagan gained sweet revenge 2 years later, defeating East Bengal 1-0 in the first Shield final after independence.[2]

Post-Independence

British teams stopped participating after 1947 as IFA Shield became one of the most important tournaments in Indian football calendar. Among British teams, Royal Irish Rifles was the most successful side – winning the title 5 times. In the 60s and 70s, IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup were considered as the three ‘blue ribbon’ tournaments in Indian football.[2] In 1953, Indian Cultural League, a Mumbai-based club ran by Bollywood football enthusiasts became the first non-Bengal team to win Shield. They did not win the title on the field however, as East Bengal was punished for playing an unregistered player in final. 1960s belonged to Mohun Bagan as they captured Shield 5 times in that decade (twice as joint winners with East Bengal). Bengal Nagpur Railways (BNR) triumphed in a memorable Shield final in 1963, thus becoming first Indian institutional side to win the Shield.


If the 1960s was dominated by Mohun Bagan, then the next decade belonged to their arch rivals. East Bengal started the decade with a 1-0 win over Iran’s Pas club, a victory that has gone down into Indian football folklore. From 1972 to 1976, East Bengal won an unprecedented 5 consecutive Shield titles. The zenith of this successful run came in 1975 Shield final when East Bengal toyed with Mohun Bagan to record a mammoth 5-0 derby win. By late 70s, Mohun Bagan had turned a corner after an unsuccessful 6-year spell. They captured a hattrick of titles from 1977 to 1979. In 1980s, the two Kolkata giants exchanged titles between each other. With the advent of Federation Cup, IFA Shield’s importance was slowly decreasing as the tournament was not held for the first time in 1988.

By mid-1990s, the Shield had lost most of its charm. Not many teams from outside Bengal participated while the Kolkata teams often sent weakened squads. One of the most memorable Shield finals of 1990s came in 1994 when a young Sikkimese striker named Baichung Bhutia struck a golden goal to earn a 2-1 win for East Bengal after a hard fought match with Mohun Bagan. In 1996, JCT became the first team from Northern India to win the IFA Shield.[2]

In the new millennium, Shield is considered more of a hindrance than a prestigious tournament. Bigger clubs, including the ones from Kolkata, have often declined to participate choosing to focus on National Football League. The Kolkata teams have also lost their dominance in the IFA Shield. Since Mohun Bagan’s triumph in 2003, none of the teams from Bengal have managed to lift the 3-foot high trophy. Mahindra United has been the most successful club in recent times, having won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

East Bengal is the most successful club in the IFA Shield. The Red-and-Golds have captured the trophy 27 times, while finishing as runner-up 10 times. Mohun Bagan is in 2nd place with 21 titles and 15 2nd place finishes. Mahindra United is the most successful non-Bengal team with 2 titles.

Foreign Teams in IFA Shield

Over the years, involvement of foreign teams has been one of the USPs of IFA Shield. East Bengal’s win over Pas club was first victory of an Indian club over a foreign club since 1947. Iran was an Asian powerhouse and Pas club was one of the strongest teams in domestic football. Having scored eight goals in 3 matches, Pas was considered a favorite for the title. They started brightly with star player Asghar Sharafi running riot. Spurred on by 60,000-strong crowd, East Bengal slowly came back into the game. Sudhir Karmakar and Nayimuddin played out of their skins to keep out Iranian strikers. A minute before final whistle, substitute Parimal De latched on to a Swapan Sengupta cross before unleashing a fierce shot from outside the penalty box. East Bengal supporters went mad with joy after winning Shield as both De and the title was carried by a wave of supporters from Eden Gardens to club tent.

Three years later, East Bengal displayed another master class performance in front of a foreign team – this time Pyong Yong City Club from North Korea. Subhash Bhowmick, nicknamed “bulldozer” was unstoppable in this match. He scored East Bengal’s 2nd goal after dribbling past 4 defenders and finishing from an almost impossible angle. He also assisted Akbar’s opener and scored East Bengal’s 3rd goal in a memorable 3-1 win.

Mohun Bagan too had their share of good performance against foreign teams when they faced off against Soviet club Ararat Erevan in the 1978 final. Bagan, then the best team in India, had gone unbeaten for almost a year and had scored 82 goals in 27 league matches. The Russians took an early lead but struggled as it began to rain after some minutes. P.K Banerjee made a game changing sub by bringing on Bidesh Bose. Ararat defenders struggled to cope with Bose’s pace on the muddy ground. Akbar made it 1-1 from Bose’s cross, while Manas Bhattacharya made it 2-1. Mohun Bagan completely dominated the rest of the match but was unable to get past the Russian ‘keeper. Ararat came back to score a late equalizer as the match ended 2-2.

Peñarol F.C. is the most renowned football club to have ever played in India. The Uruguayan behemoth has participated in Copa Libertadores a record 38 times, winning the title of South American champion five times. They have also won a record three Intercontinental titles. Peñarol’s win in 1985 IFA Shield was sandwiched between two domestic league titles. In the final, they defeated Shakhtar Donetsk – Soviet champions in 1983. In 1993, another all-foreigner final saw Pakhtakor Tashkent, the most successful Uzbek club, defeat Pavlodar F.C., the most successful Kazakh club after a tie-breaker.

Clubs from abroad have enjoyed considerable success in the last decade. In 2004, Finance and Revenue F.C., Myanmar, won the title. Next season it was turn for the Bayern Munich reserve team to capture the Shield. Coached by the legendary Gerd Müllerr, Bayern defeated Eveready (currently known as United S.C.) 5-1 in final despite conceding an early goal. Shenzhen Ruby F.C. from China participated in 2006 but was eliminated by Mahindra United in the semi-final. Mahindra defeated another foreign team to win their 2nd Shield title. This time it was Santos FC from South Africa, who had played some dazzling football including a 4-2 win over Mohun Bagan in the semi-final.

Controversies

There has been more than a few controversial episodes in the IFA Shield, but nothing comes close to the free for all brawls between East Bengal and Palmeiras B team in 2001 final. After 35 minutes of play, Palmeiras players, who had already played a rough match in semi-final, started the fight. The match was canceled as Jo Paul Ancheri suffered a painful injury after being kicked by a Brazilian player.[2][3] The Federation once again proved its inefficiency in failing to submit a report of this match. AFC promptly banned Indian clubs for one year from its competitions.[4]

Results of IFA Shield

Year Winner Score Runner-up Note
2016 India Tata Football Academy 3–2 (a.e.t.) India AIFF U19 [5]
2015 India United Sports Club U-19 2–1 India East Bengal U19
2014 India Mohammedan Sporting 1-1;4-3 [pen] Bangladesh Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi
2013 India Prayag United 1-0 India East Bengal
2012 India East Bengal 4-2 India Prayag United
2011 India Churchill Brothers 2-1 India Mohun Bagan
2010 1
2009 India Churchill Brothers 2-0 India Mohun Bagan
2008 India Mahindra United 3–1 South Africa Santos FC
2007 1
2006 India Mahindra United 1–0 India Mohun Bagan
2005 Germany FC Bayern Munich II 5–1 India Eveready
2004 Myanmar Myanmar F.R F.C 0–0; 1–1; 4–2(pen) India Mohun Bagan
2003 India Mohun Bagan 0–0; 5–3(pen) India East Bengal
2002 India East Bengal 0–0; 5–4(pen) India Churchill Brothers
2001 India East Bengal 0–1 Brazil Palmeiras B 3 6
2000 India East Bengal 1–1; 4–1(pen) India Mohun Bagan
1999 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India Tollygunge Agragami
1998 India Mohun Bagan 2–1 India East Bengal
1997 India East Bengal 3–2 India FC Kochin
1996 India JCT MIlls 1–0 Iraq Karkh Club
1995 India East Bengal 1–1; 3–1(pen) Bangladesh Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting
1994 India East Bengal 2–1 India Mohun Bagan
1993 Uzbekistan FC Pakhtakor Tashkent 1–1; 5–4(pen) Kazakhstan FC Irtysh Pavlodar
1992 1
1991 India East Bengal 3–1 India Army XI
1990 India East Bengal 1–0 India Mohammedan Sporting 4
1989 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India Tata Football Academy
1988 1
1987 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India Punjab Police
1986 India East Bengal 0–0; 4–2(pen) India Mohun Bagan
1985 Uruguay Peñarol 1–0 Soviet Union Shaktyar
1984 India East Bengal 1–0 India Mohun Bagan
1983 India East Bengal 0–0 India Aryan 2
1982 India Mohun Bagan 2–1 India Mohammedan Sporting
1981 India East Bengal 2–2 India Mohun Bagan 2
1980 Tournament abandoned
1979 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India East Bengal
1978 India Mohun Bagan 2–2 Soviet UnionFC Ararat Yerevan 2
1977 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India East Bengal
1976 India East Bengal 0–0 India Mohun Bagan 2
1975 India East Bengal 5–0 India Mohun Bagan
1974 India East Bengal 1–0 India Mohun Bagan
1973 India East Bengal 3–1 North Korea Pyongyang City Sports Club
1972 India East Bengal 0–0; 0–1 India Mohun Bagan 5
1971 India Mohammedan Sporting 2–0 India Tollygunge Agragami
1970 India East Bengal 1–0 Iran PAS Tehran
1969 India Mohun Bagan 3–1 India East Bengal
1968 Abandoned due to court injunction
1967 IndiaEast Bengal 0–0 India Mohun Bagan 7 2
1966 India East Bengal 1–0 India Bengal Nagpur Railway
1965 India East Bengal 1-0 India Mohun Bagan
1964 IndiaMohun Bagan 1–1 IndiaEast Bengal 7
1963 India Bengal Nagpur Railway 1–0 India Mohammedan Sporting
1962 India Mohun Bagan 3–1 India Hyderabad XI
1961 India East Bengal 0–0 India Mohun Bagan 2
1960 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India Indian Navy
1959 Abandoned due to dispute over date of finals
1958 India East Bengal 1–1; 1–0 India Mohun Bagan
1957 India Mohammedan Sporting 3–0 India Railway Sports Club
1956 India Mohun Bagan 4–0 India Aryan
1955 India Rajasthan Club 1–0 India Aryans Football Club
1954 India Mohun Bagan 1–0 India Hyderabad Sporting
1953 India Indian Culture League 0–0; 0–0; 1–1 India East Bengal
1952 India Mohun Bagan 0–0; 2–2 India Rajasthan Club 3
1951 India East Bengal 0–0; 2–0 India Mohun Bagan
1950 India East Bengal 3–0 India SSCB
1949 India East Bengal 2–0 India Mohun Bagan
1948 India Mohun Bagan 1–1; 2–1 India Bhawanipore
1947 British Raj Mohun Bagan 1–0 British Raj East Bengal
1946 1
1945 British Raj East Bengal 1–0 British Raj Mohun Bagan
1944 British Raj Eastern Bengal Railway 1–0 British Raj East Bengal
1943 British Raj East Bengal 3–0 British Raj Police AC
1942 British Raj Mohammedan Sporting 1–0 British Raj East Bengal
1941 British Raj Mohammedan Sporting 2–0 United Kingdom King's Own Scottish Borderers
1940 British Raj Aryans Football Club 4–1 British Raj Mohun Bagan
1939 British Raj Police AC 2–1 British Raj Calcutta Customs
1938 United Kingdom East Yorkshire Regiment 1–1; 1–1; 2–0 British Raj Mohammedan Sporting
1937 British Raj 6th Fire Brigade 4–1 British Raj Police AC
1936 British Raj Mohammedan Sporting 0–0; 0–0; 2–1 British Raj Calcutta FC
1935 United Kingdom East Yorkshire Regiment 1–0 United Kingdom Royal Regiment
1934 United Kingdom KRR 2–1 United Kingdom Durham Light Infantry
1933 United Kingdom Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 2–1 United Kingdom King's Royal Rifles
1932 United Kingdom 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment 2–1 United Kingdom Seaforth Highlanders
1931 United Kingdom Highland Light Infantry 1–1; 2–1 United Kingdom Durham Light Infantry
1930 United Kingdom Seaforth Highlanders 3–0 United Kingdom Royal Regiment
1929 United Kingdom 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles 2–0 British Raj Rangoon Customs
1928 United Kingdom Sherwood Foresters 2–0 British Raj Dalhousie AC
1927 United Kingdom Sherwood Foresters 2–0 British Raj Dalhousie AC
1926 United Kingdom Sherwood Foresters 5–1 United Kingdom Cheshire Regiment
1925 United Kingdom 2nd Battalion RS Fuliliers 5–1 United Kingdom Cheshire Regiment
1924 British Raj Calcutta FC 5–1 United Kingdom 23 brigade REA
1923 British Raj Calcutta FC 3–0 British Raj Mohun Bagan
1922 British Raj Calcutta FC 1–0 British Raj Dalhousie AC
1921 United Kingdom 3rd Battalion Brecknockshire 3–1 British Raj Calcutta FC
1920 United Kingdom Black Watch 2–0 British Raj Kumartuli
1919 United Kingdom 1st Battalion Brecknockshire 3–1 British Raj Calcutta FC
1918 British Raj Training Reserve Battalion 1–0 British Raj Signal Service Depot
1917 United Kingdom 10th Middlesex 2–0 United Kingdom Brecknockshire Regiment
1916 United Kingdom North Staffordshire Regiment 2–1 British Raj Calcutta FC
1915 British Raj Calcutta FC 0–0; 3–0 British Raj Calcutta Customs
1914 United Kingdom King's Own Regiment 1–0 British Raj Calcutta FC
1913 United Kingdom Royal Irish Rifles 2–0 United Kingdom 91st Highlanders
1912 United Kingdom Royal Irish Rifles 1–0 United Kingdom Black Watch
1911 British Raj Mohun Bagan 2–1 United Kingdom East Yorkshire Regiment
1910 United Kingdom Gordon Highlanders 0–0; 3–0 British Raj Calcutta FC
1909 United Kingdom Gordon Highlanders 0–0; 3–0 British Raj Calcutta Customs
1908 United Kingdom Gordon Highlanders 2–0 British Raj Calcutta Customs
1907 United Kingdom Highland Light Infantry 0–0; 1–0 British Raj Calcutta FC
1906 British Raj Calcutta FC 1–0 United Kingdom Highland Light Infantry
1905 British Raj Dalhousie AC 4–3 British Raj Calcutta FC
1904 British Raj Calcutta FC 1–0 United Kingdom King's Own Royal
1903 British Raj Calcutta FC 0–0; 1–1; 2–1 United Kingdom King's Own Scottish Borderers
1902 United Kingdom 93 Highlanders 3–0 British Raj Dalhousie AC
1901 United Kingdom Royal Irish Rifles 4–0 United Kingdom Black Watch
1900 British Raj Calcutta FC 0–0; 6–0 British Raj Dalhousie AC
1899 United Kingdom South Lancashire Regiment 2–0 British Raj Barrackpore Artillery
1898 United Kingdom Gloucestershire Regiment 1–0 United Kingdom 42nd Highlanders
1897 British Raj Dalhousie AC 4–0 United Kingdom 31st Field Battery
1896 British Raj Calcutta FC 3–0 United Kingdom King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1895 United Kingdom Royal Welch Fusiliers 1–0 United Kingdom King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1894 United Kingdom Royal Irish Rifles 2–0 United Kingdom Rifle Brigade
1893 United Kingdom Royal Irish Rifles 1–0 United Kingdom W.D.R.A.

Notes:

1. ^ Tournament not held.
2. ^ Joint winners.
3. ^ Abandoned.
4. ^ Abandoned midway as Mohammedan Sporting refused to continue.
5. ^ Abandoned due to rain during the replay. Mohun Bagan refused to play again and were scratched.
6. ^ Abandoned after 35 minutes as Palmeiras started a brawl on the pitch, match cancelled. Palmeiras have been scratched from the record books.[3]
7. ^ Final Abandoned.

References

[6]

  1. "IFA Shield now U-19 tourney". Telegraph India. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Glorious History Of IFA Shield". TheHardTackle.com. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 "A pity it had to end like this". Sportstaronnet.com. 2 November 2001. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. "Decision on AIFF ban on July 15". Rediff.com.com. 10 June 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. "IFA Shield: Tata Football Academy wins the 120th IFA Shield". 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. Live IFA Shield "IFA Shield Live Score Details", Retrieved on 12 February 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.