Kolkata: The Calcutta Football League’s signature match is back with a new look but a dose of the same old vibes.
Much water has flowed down the Hooghly since the last time the city’s Big 2 clashed with each other in 2019 in the CFL, which ended in a goalless stalemate and saw Peerless emerge as champions to break the league’s duopoly.
Following Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC’s migration to the ISL, both teams have decided to take part in the local league with their reserve side, with the objective of keeping the feeder system ready for the senior side.A recent AIFF rule also bars foreigners from taking part, giving the CFL an absolute desi look.
They didn’t field a side in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid. Although Mohun Bagan returned to the CFL in 2023, they gave East Bengal a walkover.
However, the latest match — scheduled to take place at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday — has put the two teams in contrasting positions. With back-to-back wins and 10 goals, East Bengal look like the form team in Group B. With two draws from as many matches, Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, are lying at the bottom half of the table.
The league may be just three-week old. But, with the top 3 teams from the group advancing to the championship round, the onus is clearly on Deggie Cardozo’s Mohun Bagan to seize their moment.
“I’m not worried about our start (to the league) and I have confidence in my team to turn things around,” Cardozo said on Friday.
Interestingly, the match is being held against the backdrop of Mohun Bagan’s India defender Anwar Ali’s reported move to East Bengal. While the green-and-maroon management has directed the veteran defender to join the CFL team by July 19, two senior team players — midfielder Glan Martins and goalkeeper Arsh Anwar — have been registered for Saturday’s derby.
East Bengal have also included a number of senior players like goalkeeper Debjit Majumdar, striker Suhair VP and last CFL’s top goalscorer David Lalhlansanga for the high-voltage clash.
However, in Naseeb Rahaman, Shyamal Besara, and Sayan Banerjee, they have some youngsters ready to take the fight back to Bagan’s court.
“My players know the importance of this match. We are planning accordingly and the players will be ready to give their best,” East Bengal coach Bino George said.