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Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting Club are on the cusp of regaining the Calcutta Football League Premier Division A title after a 40-year hiatus.
The Black Panthers will take on Railway FC in the summit clash of the tournament at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on Thursday.
The MSC management organized a grand press conference at the club tent on Tuesday afternoon. The event was attended by MSC head coach Andrey Chernyshov, captain SK Faiaz, and star foreigners Marcus Joseph and Nikola Stojanovic. They were accompanied by a host of club officials.
Everyone in the MSC camp looked upbeat ahead of the historic final. The last time the Black Panthers clinched the CFL title was back in the 1980-81 season, under Moidul Islam’s captaincy.
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Road to the Final
After amassing 10 points from 6 matches in the group stage, Chernyshov and co. marched towards the final of the 123-year old competition by putting in brilliant performances in the knockouts.
They completed a 7-0 thrashing of Bhawanipore FC in the quarter-finals and followed it with a spirited 1-0 win over a strong United Sports Club side in the semi-final.
MSC striker Joseph, a fan-favourite already, scored in both matches to propel his side to the final. He is ably aided by MSC’s midfield kingpin Stojanovic, who constantly supplies the forward line with quality through balls.
Although the foreign players have been the driving force of this MSC side, Chernyshov has done well to bring out the best from his local boys as well. The likes of striker Azharuddin Mallick and wingers Faisal Ali and Faiaz not only add teeth to the attack with their speedy runs, but also reinforce the club’s connection with its fans.
The Black Panthers’ defense, manned by Lalramchullova, Arijeet Singh, Shaher Shaheen and Lalramhmunmawia, has looked sloppy at times and cannot afford a slip-up against less fancied opponents in the final.
MSC custodian Mithun Samanta has performed impressively between the sticks so far, while seasoned defensive midfielder Milan Singh’s resurgence has proved a shot in the arm for his team.
Sharing his thoughts about the high-voltage match after Wednesday’s training session, Stojanovic said:
“We’re very excited to reach the final and we’ll give our 100% effort. We’re working hard to script history and gift the CFL trophy to the fans after 40 years.”
On Wednesday, the club announced an incentive of Rs. 5 lakh for the players if they go on to win the final.
Railway FC, meanwhile, could claim their own slice of history by winning the coveted CFL title for the first time since 1958. Railway FC, in fact, were the only team to win the tournament outside the “holy trinity” of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting, until Peerless matched their feat in 2019-20.
The Souren Dutta-managed side have played a vibrant brand of football so far. After collecting just 7 points from 6 group matches, they registered back-to-back wins against Kidderpore SC [5-0], Aryan Club [0 (2) – 0 (4)], defending champions Peerless [4-0] and George Telegraph [1-0] in the knockouts to book a berth in the final.
Defender Subhendu Mandi and midfielder Sukuram Sardar have been Railway FC’s star performers this season. Both players will represent West Bengal in the upcoming Santosh Trophy.
Dutta hopes his boys will take inspiration from their iconic 1958 squad to pull off an “upset” on Thursday:
“This is a golden chance for us to pay homage to club legends like P.K. Banerjee, Pradyut Burman and Nikhil Nandy. Play your best football against Mohammedan!” he told his players on Wednesday.
MSC coach and officials are all praise for investors Bunkerhill ahead of historic CFL final
Despite dominating Kolkata football during India’s pre-independence era, Mohammedan Sporting Club’s prominence in the country's footballing landscape has declined rapidly over the years.
The century-old club has languished for much of the last two decades in the second division, showing only sporadic glimpses of its halcyon days.
However, things have taken a U-turn since Gurgaon-based Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd joined hands with MSC in October last year. Under the aegis of their new investors, MSC have exhibited a dramatic turnaround. In addition to reaching the 2021-22 CFL final, the Black Panthers finished runners-up in the Durand Cup and the inaugural Futsal Club Championship earlier this year. They also won the Second Division I-League last year to mark a return to the First Division after seven years.
It must be remembered that MSC were the first Indian club to win the prestigious CFL title in 1934, and went on to set the then record of claiming 5 consecutive CFL titles between 1934 and 1938.
Speaking about the impact of Bunkerhill on the club's dazzling turnaround in Tuesday’s Press conference, MSC head coach Chernyshov said:
"I am very lucky to work with this club. The players and the people around me are excellent and the investors have given us the best facilities.
"We've stayed in 5 star hotels and used the best training facilities in Kolkata. It's very important for the players' motivation. The investors have looked after us really well and we can speak to them directly regarding our problems. [We] Can't ask for anything more."
MSC official MD Qamaruddin also eulogized Bunkerhill's efforts towards heralding a new epoch in the club's illustrious 130-year history, saying:
"Bunkerhill have been brilliant as investors and we share a good relationship with them. Our neighbors (East Bengal and Mohun Bagan) are in conflict with their investors because they're not on the same page. We are fortunate that Bunkerhill came on board. We have got some amazing plans for the future and the best thing is, we share the same vision. Together we'll restore the club's glory days!"
Sharing his thoughts about the CFL final, Bunkerhill Private Limited director Dipak Kumar Singh beamed with optimism:
“It will be a dream start for Bunkerhill if we can win the CFL after 40 years and bring some smile to Mohammedan Sporting fans all across India. I am confident that we will be on the winning side based on our preparation.” he said.
