Kolkata Derby
The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match") is the football match in Kolkata, between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. The rivalry between these two teams is over 100 years old, and the matches witnessed large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons. It is considered to be one of the biggest Asian footballing rivalry. The first match was played on 8 August 1921 in Cooch Behar Cup and latest match of this historical derby was played on 10 March 2024 in Indian Super League. The Kolkata Derby is considered to be greatest derby in Asian Football and also one of the biggest derbies in the world.
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on a matchday of Kolkata Derby in 2020 | |
| Other names | Boro Match (Big Match) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Teams |
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| First meeting |
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| Latest meeting | East Bengal 1–3 Mohun Bagan 2024 Indian Super League (10 March 2024) |
| Broadcasters | Sports18 (Indian Super League) |
| Stadiums | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan East Bengal Ground Mohun Bagan Ground Kanchenjunga Stadium Eden Gardens |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | Total: 397 Competitive: 372 |
| Top scorer | Bhaichung Bhutia (19) |
| All-time series | Total: East Bengal: 141 Mohun Bagan: 129 Drawn: 127 Competitive: East Bengal: 136 Mohun Bagan: 119 Drawn: 117 |
| Largest victory | East Bengal 5–0 Mohun Bagan 30 September 1975 (IFA Shield Final) |
Location of the two teams in Kolkata, as well as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, the shared home ground of the two clubs. | |
The two clubs meet at least 3 times a year, twice in the Indian Super League and once in the Calcutta Football League. Often these two clubs met in other competitions like the Durand Cup, IFA Shield, Super Cup etc.
Both clubs have large and dedicated fan bases around the world, and represent a specific class of Bengali people, Mohun Bagan represents people existing in the western part of Bengal (known as Ghotis), while East Bengal is primarily supported by people hailing from the eastern part of pre-independence Bengal (known as Bangals). Culturally, this derby is very similar to the Scottish Professional Football League's Old Firm derby, since a majority of the Mohun Bagan supporters represent the 'nativist' population (similar to Rangers) and a majority of the East Bengal fans represent the 'immigrant' population (similar to Celtic). The celebrations of a derby win is traditionally marked with dishes prepared from either ilish or golda chingri, depending on which team wins. The East Bengal supporters celebrate their win with ilish courses, being associated to the eastern region of Bengal (now Bangladesh), where as the Mohun Bagan fans celebrate with courses of golda chingri.