New Delhi: They came in thousands in minibuses, matadors, and motorcycles chanting ‘Jaan Jaan Mohammedan’ and ‘Dil Dil Mohammedan’. Football fans were celebrating the revival of the Mohammedan Sporting Club, which rose from the depth of defeat to the height of victory by winning its first I-League title on 13 April in Kolkata. With this, they have now entered the Indian Super League, the country’s top football championship.
For the 133-year-old football club from West Bengal, this historic moment has come after a long, despairing wait of two decades. The Mohammedan SC almost shut down after running out of money in 2014. The resurrection of one of the big three of Kolkata football was largely due to the infusion of investment made by the Gurugram-based company, Bunkerhill, which is chiefly owned by Hindus. It’s the quintessential underdog story—a team in despair, and then a change in management, an influx of funds, and a new coach from Russia. It’s almost as if Ted Lasso had entered Kolkata.
“This is not just a national title. It means we are now in the Indian Super League,” said team fan Haris Mumtaz. He’s vindicated after years of loyalty. The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass was draped in black and white – the colours of the club. And fans followed the team bus as it made its way from the stadium in Salt Lake to the MSC Tent in Tent Maidan.
A decade after the ISL launched in 2013, all three Kolkata clubs—East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and Mohammedan SC—are set to play in the same national league, after Mohammedan SC completes the licensing formalities. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal first played in the ISL in the 2020-21 season. The trifecta of Kolkata football playing together in the ISL was years in the making—after Bunkerhill came on board in 2020.
The resurrection of Mohammedan Sporting Club, one of the big three of Kolkata football, was largely due to the infusion of investment made by the Gurugram-based company Bunkerhill, which is chiefly owned by Hindus.
“Mohammedan SC has always been a progressive club. When they were struggling, they welcomed us with open hands, even though we were not a part of their community,” said Dipak Kumar Singh, a director at Bunkerhill. “This particular club going into the ISL will be an example to show what India is all about — equal opportunity for everyone. This will be a great message to the world that India is all about diversity.”
Accepting ‘outsiders’
The 2013 season had started off on a good note for Mohammedan SC after they won the Durand Cup for the first time since 1940. It was all downhill from there. By the end of the season, the club was relegated to the I-League 2 (second division), despite having a raft of stars, including Nirmal Chhetri and Dipendu Biswas.
It almost shut down in 2014, but trundled along with a brief flash of its past brilliance in 2020-21, when the club won the I-League 2. The return to I-League coincided with the infusion of a new investor.
“When we launched Bunkerhill in 2016, we began identifying different sports where we wanted to invest. We created a small fund and started investing,” said Singh. Two years later, a flailing Mohammedan Sporting Club approached them.
“When we did our research, we identified that it was one of the clubs in India that still had a pan-Asia fan base…We went to some of their games, which were not in the premier division at that time, and there was a strong fan following for the club,” said Singh. That was in 2018, when MSC changed its mindset to accept ‘outside investors’ after a new administration had stepped in. It finally became a believer in corporatisation and professionalisation—almost two decades after its Kolkata cousins first signed a partnership with liquor baron Vijay Mallya and the United Spirits Group.
(Mamata Banerjee) loves sports a lot. Even her slogan – Khela Hobe – is all about sports. She understands sport and wants the sporting culture to be developed and stay consistent in the coming years. That is why we have been lucky that these clubs are a part of West Bengal
– Dipak Kumar Singh, a director at Bunkerhill
Incidentally, Vijay Mallya had made an offer to Mohammedan Sporting Club as well. Accepting an offer to promote a liquor company, however, was unthinkable for the club given its Muslim roots and strong community support. Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, for many years after the deal with Mallya’s company, were called McDowell’s Mohun Bagan and Kingfisher East Bengal.
In 2018, with the new administration in place, the club ushered in its first change by opening its doors to Bunkerhill. It appointed former player Dipendu Biswas as the football secretary and manager of the team. Biswas, a former Indian international soccer player, has been associated with the club for over 15 years.
“He was one of the first members from outside the community brought into leadership roles at the club in 2018. It was the first step taken to change the direction of the club,” explained Singh. Two years later, Singh and Bunkerhill joined MSC as principal investors, setting of a chain of events that culminated in their victory this month.
Vijay Mallya had made an offer to Mohammedan Sporting Club as well. Accepting an offer to promote a liquor company, however, was unthinkable for the club given its Muslim roots and strong community support.
The Mohammedan sporting way
The Bunkerhill evolution was not just in the boardroom or the business side of the club, but also trickled down to its performance on the football field. The club, which remained on the margins of the top division of Indian football for a couple of decades, was finally able to find the right balance to rebuild itself into a championship winning team. And it did that by creating its own brand of football.
Much like Ted Lasso, a new coach with a new philosophy tried to shake things up with ‘positive football’. It is akin to FC Barcelona and its famous tiki-taka style of play that became synonymous with the club, or Jürgen Klopp’s Gegenpress, which was seen through his career at FSV Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, and Liverpool since 2016.
The new coach Andrey Chernyshov, a former international player who represented the Soviet Union and played for the big-three football clubs in Moscow—Dynamo, Spartak and Torpedo—has become a fixture on the sidelines of every game, in his signature tracksuit and cap.
“I want the team to play modern football, with high pressure, with many beautiful combinations,” the 56-year old says in a thick Russian accent. Chernyshov has a history of managing clubs across Kazakhstan, Georgia, Belarus, Serbia, and Greece, before beginning his stint in India.
He wants his players to “act aggressively” in the field regardless of them being in possession of the ball. “I want this to be the philosophy of the club. So that even if the coaches change, the style always remains the same,” he adds. Fans like Mumtaz approved of this proactive approach to the game.
Bunkerhill has identified 24 fan clubs around India that it hopes to eventually re-activate and have them act as “change agents” in the coming years. The image of the century-old club has to be minted anew and rebooted for a new generation of Indians
“The majority of fans appreciate the new philosophy. Seven years ago, football in India was kicking the ball long. For us, this change started four years ago. Our players now have a belief in build-up play that is rarely seen across Indian clubs,” says Mumtaz.
To support Chernyshov’s vision, Singh and Bunkerhill have started implementing the new style to its second team and slowly to its junior players as well.
“We absolutely love the coach. He came three years ago, has helped win us three titles. His tactics and command over the team even saw the club push ISL opponents to the limit in cup games,” says Mumtaz.
Fans – one of the pillars of MSC
Football and fan culture, anywhere in the world, are inseparable and embody blind love. They are the beating heart of a football club on the ascendent.
And Chernyshov is aware of this. He makes it a point to meet the fans at the end of a game. “We trust him and believe in him,” says Mumtaz.
Bunkerhill, too, has identified 24 fan clubs around India that it hopes to eventually re-activate and have them act as “change agents” in the coming years. The image of the century-old club has to be minted anew and rebooted for a new generation of Indians.
While many became inactive after Mohammedan SC’s slump over the years, three fan clubs still exist.
“We want to constantly see filled stands at the stadium and feel their support. I think that the club can work even better with fans – conduct open training sessions, invite players to various events with the participation of fans, organise drawings for various prizes. I also try to suggest to club leaders what can be improved in working with fans,” says Chernyshov.
The origins of the MSC lay in the formation of the “Jubilee Club” in 1887 by Nawab Aminul Islam, which, after multiple name changes, settled for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1891. The club was founded to represent the Muslim population of Kolkata (then Calcutta).
The identity being developed within the club is based around on-field performances as well as deeper engagement between the management and the fans. This is seemingly the new Mohammedan Sporting way.
This change in the management’s approach has found favour among the most hardcore supporters of the club – the Ultras.
“Last year, the club and Bunkerhill held a meeting with the representatives of different fan clubs before the start of the I-League season. Feedback was taken to improve the match-day atmosphere. This is not seen very often among Indian clubs,” Mumtaz told ThePrint.
And the I-League victory has helped rekindle the love. As the team bus reached the MSC Tent, fans gathered around and carried each player on their shoulders.
“We did not let the players touch the ground till they were inside the club,” he added.
The first native champions of Kolkata
The Mohammedan Sporting Club has had its share of heydays in the past.
The “lean period” Mumtaz refers to was not a permanent feature. In the 1930s and 1940s, the club came to define Indian, or “native” football as it was referred to at the time by the British.
The origins of the MSC lay in the formation of the “Jubilee Club” in 1887 by Nawab Aminul Islam, which, after multiple name changes, settled for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1891. The club was founded to represent the Muslim population of Kolkata (then Calcutta).
While not strictly communal, the club, until at least the 1960s, had a policy of being represented by predominantly Muslim players, before it shifted to be open to all. In 1934, Mohammedan Sporting was the first “native” club to win the Calcutta Football League (CFL) – a tournament that, since its inception in 1898, was won predominantly by the British army regiments.
The Indian Super League, launched to much fanfare in 2013, was similar to cricket’s Indian Premier League in its initial years – glitz, celebrities, and short-condensed seasons. Suddenly, ISL franchise teams were owned by stars like John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rana Daggubati to name a few.
The club did not stop. It won the next four CFL’s on the trot – before Mohun Bagan won the championship in 1939. Mohammedan SC continued its streak, winning the 1940 and 1941 editions.
The club won one more CFL in 1948 – the year after India’s partition and the loss of its prominent patrons to Pakistan. After its domination of football in India, Mohammedan hit its first “lean period”. Between 1949 and 2021, the club won only three CFLs, while its cousins Mohun Bagan and East Bengal went on to dominate football in Kolkata.
ISL meets Mohammedan Sporting
The Indian Super League, launched to much fanfare in 2013, was similar to cricket’s Indian Premier League in its initial years – glitz, celebrities, and short-condensed seasons. Suddenly, ISL franchise teams were owned by stars like John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rana Daggubati to name a few.
As ISL came to be advertised and found support among Indian football fans, then-premier division of Indian football, the I-League, struggled to get the same attention. Traditional clubs like MSC, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and their Goan counters, which had not been invited to the super league, missed out.
Bunkerhill did not see this as a major obstacle. It simply got MSC its own celebrity supporter—Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan. He joined the club as its official brand ambassador in 2021. Pathan’s association with the club was promoted through posters and advertisements across its social media platforms.
The ISL eventually became India’s top division in 2019, while the I-League was ‘demoted’ to second division in the Indian footballing pyramid. But the new top tier of the pyramid did not have any legacy team known to football fans in India.
For a couple of years, ISL games attracted an average of 25,000 supporters to the stadiums. But once the initial excitement tapered off, the numbers started dipping. This season, for example, an average of only 11,000 fans are attending league games, according to some reports.
For a couple of years, ISL games attracted an average of 25,000 supporters to the stadiums. But once the initial excitement tapered off, the numbers started dipping. This season, for example, an average of only 11,000 fans are attending league games, according to some reports.
In comparison, nearly 40,000 fans turned up to support Mohammedan Sporting Club in its final game in the I-League against Delhi FC, which the champions lost 3-1. It’s the West Bengal club that’s pulling in the crowds. Of the Kolkata three, Mohun Bagan leads the pack in the ISL, even though the league’s average attendance has fallen, according to a football statistics website Transfermarkt. The average attendance for Mohun Bagan is 32,000 per game. East Bengal has an average of close to 12,000 supporters a game. With the addition of Mohammedan Sporting in the ISL, the fan base of the tournament is set to grow.
It’s also a fact acknowledged by the All India Football Federation (AlFF) president Kalyan Chaubey. “Given their dedicated brand of fans across the country, Mohammedan Sporting’s entry in the ISL will certainly do good for India’s top league and will bring more spectators to the ground,” Chaubey had said while handing over the I-League title to Mohammedan Sporting.
However, playing in the ISL comes with its own challenges for the club.
“Next season, we will try our level best because the ISL is a different level to the I-League. But I trust my teammates and the coaching staff. We can achieve something next season also,” said Zodingliana Ralte, one of the three captains.
This belief held by Ralte comes from the strong support the players have from the coaching staff, the management, the coach, and the fans. Ralte highlights the role of team manager Dipendu Biswas, Dipak Kumar Singh, and others that makes the “family stronger.”
“The strength of the big-three clubs in Kolkata comes from the support of our fans. When we win, they support us. When we lose, they support us. They have been with us in the tough times,” said Biswas.
The return of Mohammedan Sporting to ISL comes within seven months of all three Kolkata clubs having brought silverware to the city.
“Kolkata is the home of Indian football. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and us are all champions of the biggest three tournaments in India,” explained Ralte.
Mohun Bagan brought home the ISL Shield in front of 61,000 fans earlier this month, and won the Durand Cup in September last year, beating city rivals East Bengal in the finals. In January, East Bengal won the Super Cup – breaking a twelve-year trophy drought.
‘Khela Hobe’ and the Mamata effect
All of this success for football in Kolkata has come with a strong support from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She was instrumental in resolving the impasse between Shree Cement and East Bengal, allowing the club to participate in the 2021-22 ISL season.
Besides her mediation that ensured financial support for the clubs, the chief minister has funded stadium renovations, including iconic Salt Lake Stadium (now known as the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan) for Rs 100 crore in the last half decade.
“The current government feels that if we need to keep the culture of Bengal alive, then we have to support sports. Whenever you think of sports in Kolkata, these three [football] clubs always come on the top,” said Singh.
Banerjee has also ensured the team buses for all three clubs in Kolkata receive police escorts when they travel in the city. More importantly, her government has invested in the clubs. Last year, Mohammedan Sporting Club received Rs 50 Lakh in funding from the state government.
“She loves sports a lot. Even her slogan – Khela Hobe – is all about sports. She understands sport and she wants the sporting culture to be developed and stay consistent in the coming years. That is why we have been lucky that these clubs are a part of Bengal,” Singh said.
(Edited by Prashant)