IFA Shield
The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893.[1] Named after the association, the IFA Shield tournament was started in the same year. It is the second oldest football tournament in India, only after Durand Cup, and the fourth oldest football competition in the world.
 | |
| Organising body | Indian Football Association (West Bengal) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1893 |
| Region | India (primarily West Bengal) |
| Number of teams | Varies |
| Current champions | Real Kashmir (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | East Bengal (29 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | Kolkata TV |
| Website | Official website |
 2021 IFA Shield | |
The royal houses of Patiala and Cooch Behar, A.A. Apcar of Armenian Club and J Sutherland of Dalhousie AC had financially contributed for the inception of the Shield. The coveted shield was designed by Walter Locke & Co. (Calcutta) and constructed by Messrs Elkington & Co. (London).[2]
During the initial years of the competition, the IFA Shield was dominated by British Army teams and the Royal Irish Rifles defeated W.D.R.A. to lift the first IFA Shield in 1893. However, their stranglehold over the Shield was broken in 1911, when Mohun Bagan AC became the first all-Indian side to win the IFA Shield by defeating East Yorkshire Regiment by 2–1.[3] That was a historic moment for Indian football as well the struggle for independence, as the natives beat the Englishmen in their own game. While the Royal Irish Rifles remains the most successful British Army side with 5 titles, East Bengal Club has won the IFA Shield a record 29 times.
From 2015 to 2018, the IFA Shield was designed as an youth tournament wherein youth teams of all divisions were allowed to participate.[4] The decision was taken by IFA due to busy schedule of AIFF which includes Indian Super League, I-League and Super Cup. In 2020, the tournament was once again organised as a senior event.[5]
Results of IFA Shield
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Notes:
- 1. ^ Tournament not held.
- 2. ^ Joint winners.
- 3. ^ Abandoned.
- 4. ^ Abandoned midway as Mohammedan Sporting refused to continue.
- 5. ^ Abandoned due to rain during the replay. Mohun Bagan refused to play again and were scratched.
- 6. ^ Abandoned after 35 minutes as Palmeiras started a brawl on the pitch, match cancelled. Palmeiras have been scratched from the record books.[7]
- 7. ^ Final Abandoned.
- 8. ^ An all-Indian side wins the Shield for the 1st time
- 9. ^ Organised as an Under-19 tournament
- 10. ^ Abandoned.
Performance by teams
Performance by Indian teams
Though the tournament was dominated by the British Army teams during its initial years, yet British Indian teams too participated representing India prior to the independence, but very few were an all-Indian side. Mohun Bagan AC was the first all-Indian side to win the tournament in 1911.
Top 10 Indian teams in IFA Shield
| No. | Team | Championships (Latest) |
Runner-ups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SC East Bengal | 29 (2018) | 10 |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan AC | 22 (2003)[8] | 19 |
| 3 | Calcutta FC | 9 (1924) | 8 |
| 4 | Mohammedan SC | 6 (2014) | 4 |
| 5 | Dalhousie AC | 2 (1905) | 5 |
| 6 | Churchill Brothers SC | 2 (2011) | 1 |
| United SC | 2 (2015) | 1 | |
| 8 | Mahindra United FC | 2 (2008) | 0 |
| Real Kashmir FC | 2 (2021) | 0 | |
| 9 | Aryan FC | 1 (1940) | 2 |
| Police AC | 1 (1939) | 2 | |
Performance by Overseas teams
- Winners:
Club Atlético Peñarol (1985)
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Finance and Revenue FC (2004)
FC Bayern Munich II (2005)
- Runners-up:
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PAS Tehran FC (1970)
Pyongyang SC (1973)
FC Ararat Yerevan (1978)- FC Shakhtar Donetsk (1985)
Irtysh Pavlodar FK (1993)
Mohammedan SC (1995)
Al-Karkh SC (1996)
Palmeiras B (2001)
Santos FC (2008)- Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (2014)
Awards
Since the 123rd edition of the tournament, the awards for the Best Coach of the tournament, the Best Player of the tournament, the highest goalscorer of the tournament and Fair Play has been renamed in honour of India's football icons- P. K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Krishanu Dey,[9][10] and renowned sports photojournalist- Ronojoy 'Ronny' Roy.[11]
Krishanu Dey Memorial Award
As of December 2020
| Year | Player | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  Abegunrin Adefemi Lukman |
5 | Real Kashmir |
| 2021 |  Rahim Osumanu |
5 | Gokulam Kerala |
P. K. Banerjee Memorial Award for the Best Coach
As of December 2020
| Year | Head Coach | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  Ranjan Bhattacharya |
George Telegraph |
Chuni Goswami Memorial Award for the Best Player
As of December 2020
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  Mason Robertson |
Real Kashmir |
| 2021 | Mason Robertson |
Real Kashmir |
See also
References
- Chaudhuri, Arunava. "List of Winners/Runners-Up of the IFA-Shield". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- "Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari - The first visionary of Indian football". Football Paradise. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- Majumdar, Boria, Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (1 February 2006). Goalless: The Story of a Unique Footballing Nation. New Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780670058747. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022.
- "IFA Shield now U-19 tournament". Telegraph India. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- "IFA Shield set for return as senior event". The Indian Express. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- "IFA Shield: Tata Football Academy wins the 120th IFA Shield". 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- Sengupta, Somnath (8 March 2011). "The Glorious History Of IFA Shield". Thehardtackle.com.
- "Mohun Bagan Trophy room". themohunbaganac.com. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Mohamed, Farzan (3 December 2020). "IFA Shield 2020". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ""Krishanu Dey Memorable Highest Scorar Trophy" for 123RD IFA Shield 2020 । পিকে-চুনীর পর এবার IFA শিল্ডে কৃশানু দে-র নামে পুরস্কার". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- "Shield's Fair Play trophy renamed in honour of Ronny Roy". aajkaal.in. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
External links
- India - List of IFA Shield Finals, rsssf.com
- The Glorious History Of IFA Shield By Somnath Sengupta, thehardtackle.com