When a child is born in a Bengali household, one of the earliest loyalty tests that he or she needs to take is not political, not cultural, not even cinematic. It is football.
Whether they will grow up eating Illish in red-and-gold or Chingri in green-and-maroon, whether their heart will belong to East Bengal or Mohun Bagan.
A grandfather still emotionally talks about PK Banerjee, a father remembers Bhaichung Bhutia carrying East Bengal on his shoulders, and now a son debates Cleiton Silva versus Dimitrios Petratos on Instagram Reels and X threads.
But for the last 22 years, that emotion has often hurt far more for East Bengal supporters.
The rivalry itself never lost its intensity, but slowly the balance of success drifted heavily towards the green-and-maroon side of the city. Mohun Bagan kept collecting league titles, ISL finals and continental nights while East Bengal fans were left surviving mostly on memories, nostalgia and endless reminders of “kobe abar champion hobe?”
That is why on May 21, 2026, when the final whistle blew at Kishore Bharati Krirangan after East Bengal’s dramatic 2-1 win over Inter Kashi, years of pain disappeared in seconds.
Fans flooded onto the pitch almost immediately. Oscar Bruzon and Youssef Ezzejjari were lifted onto supporters’ shoulders and tossed into the Kolkata night as moshals lit up again.
Social media instantly became a flood of red-and-gold emotion. One East Bengal supporter uploaded a video looking at the sky saying, “Baba, amra abar champion holam” — “Father, we are champions again.” His father had passed away years ago without seeing East Bengal win another national league title after the 2003-04 National Football League triumph under Subhash Bhowmick.
Another elderly supporter, probably in his seventies, stood outside the stadium crying uncontrollably while saying, “Jibon-e shob dekhlam, kintu eta aar dekhbo bhabini” — “I have seen everything in life, but I never thought I would see this again.”
That is what these 22 years really were. An entire generation growing older while carrying football heartbreak almost like inherited trauma.
Kids who last saw East Bengal as champions in 2004 are now full-grown adults. Some finished school, college, jobs, marriages and even became parents before finally watching East Bengal lift another major national league title again.
Indian football itself moved through entire eras during this wait, from the Bhaichung Bhutia-Mike Okoro days under the chest-thumping intensity of Subhash Bhowmick to an ISL generation raised on transfer rumours, meme pages and yearly derby meltdowns online.
Indian football itself completely changed during that period. The National Football League disappeared and the I-League arrived. Then came the chaos and glamour of the ISL era.
Yet somehow, East Bengal’s pain survived every single era.
Trevor Morgan’s side gave supporters genuine hope during those early 2010s years with magical AFC Cup nights and aggressive football that made fans dream again. Then came the near misses in 2010-11 and 2013-14 before the particularly painful 2014-15 collapse when Mohun Bagan edged them to the title. But maybe nothing hurt quite like 2018-19, when Alejandro Menndez’s brilliant footballing side missed the I-League crown by just one point despite playing some of the most entertaining football the club had seen in years.
Every time East Bengal fans slowly allowed themselves to believe again, football somehow found a fresh new method of emotional violence.
And then came the ISL years, where supporting East Bengal became an annual loyalty test.
Quess exited. Shree Cement entered. The club identity changed, the badge changed, the name changed and fans protested because many genuinely felt the soul of the club was slowly disappearing inside corporate football. Robbie Fowler arrived carrying Premier League glamour and excitement, but East Bengal looked tactically confused while Mohun Bagan, after merging with ATK, immediately became the glamour powerhouse where almost every major Indian footballer suddenly wanted to play.
That contrast became brutal for East Bengal supporters to watch.
While Mohun Bagan stacked national team stars and fought for trophies almost every season, East Bengal battled transfer bans, investor disputes, administrative confusion and constant rebuilding projects that barely lasted a year. Jos Manuel Daz arrived, then Mario Rivera, then Stephen Constantine, then Carles Cuadrat. Every season felt like starting a new Football Manager save after deleting the previous one midway through frustration.
But somehow the supporters never disappeared.
Even during their worst years, derby days still painted Salt Lake red and gold, moshals still burned and fans still sang.
That is why Oscar Bruzon’s contribution will probably remain special for years. Several foreign coaches came through East Bengal during the ISL era, but Bruzon understood that this club could survive tactical mistakes, bad finishing or even poor results for a while, but it could never survive fear or passive football.
His East Bengal side attacked relentlessly. Ezzejjari instantly became the solution to their striker problems after endless failed deals. Mohammed Rashid brought warrior-like aggression in midfield, while Miguel Figueira added the Brazilian flair and swagger this side had badly lacked for years. Indian power, which was at it best this year for the side, saw Bipin Singh deliver in big moments and youngsters like PV Vishnu and Edmund started getting chants of their own.
East Bengal champions, Mohun Bagan Super Giants are runners-up. The sentence itself is not bad for an Indian football fan.
Indian football has seen its best days when East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have both been fighting for trophies. So, a return to that era, that brings hope for the game in this country.
Perhaps the most beautiful touch of the night came after the trophy lift.
The East Bengal players wore shirts carrying one simple line:
“Chilam, achhi, thakbo.”
“We were here. We are here. We will remain here.”
After 22 years of “hoyto porer bochor”, East Bengal fans finally said it with pride.
Source: India Today
