“We salute the Indian Army and their families for helping the football clubs,” said Mamata Banerjee.
Endowed with an illustrious 132-year legacy, Mohammedan SC is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. It was MSC who succeeded in ending British dominance in Indian football in the pre-independence era. Clad in its iconic black-and-white colours, MSC became the first Indian club to win the prestigious Calcutta Football League first division title, a feat it achieved in 1934. MSC asserted such unparalleled dominance in that era that it won as many as 8 CFL titles between 1934 and 1948. Today, the club boasts of a huge trophy cabinet with some of its prized possessions being -CFL title (12 times), Federation Cup (2 times), Durand Cup (2 times), IFA Shield (6 times) and Rovers Cup (6 times).
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced a grant of Rs 60 lakh to Mohammedan Sporting Club to upgrade its gallery.
The TMC supremo also thanked the Indian Army for helping football clubs located in the city’s sprawling Maidan area, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence.
“We salute the Indian Army and their families for helping the football clubs,” she added.
The CM also hoped that the club, counted among the city’s three football giants, would become part of the ISL bandwagon soon. She felt that the ongoing financial crisis at the club can be resolved if the supporters donate even Re 1 each.
Apart from paying homage to Mohammad Habib, the CM also remembered East Bengal club’s Suprakash Gargari, who had also passed away on Tuesday.
Shabbir Ali – a former Indian football manager and player was awarded the Dhyan Chand Award, the highest award in Indian sports for his lifetime achievement, given by Government of India in 2011.He is the first footballer to be named for the Dhyan Chand Award.
He was appointed the Technical Director of the Indian team and helped the team to win the gold medal in the SAFF championship in Chennai in 1995.
Being delighted to attend the inaugural ceremony he said “I am very happy to be here.It’s a great moment for all of us.Mohammedan Sporting will show much better performance in future,” he said.
Major General H Dharmarajan ,GOC,Bengal Sub Area, West Bengal Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, former players of Mohammedan Sporting and other dignitaries also graced this momentous occasion.
Mohammedan currently play in the I-League, in Indian football’s second division and are aiming to win its 2023-24 edition, which will give them automatic entry into the ISL.
( Pratyusha Mukherjee )
