East Bengal marked its 107th Foundation Day with annual football awards, honouring Anwar Ali, Sathi Debnath, Sulanjana Raul, Bino George and several distinguished personalities while celebrating the club’s rich legacy and recent Durand Cup success.
Kolkata, August 2: East Bengal Day is much more than the club’s annual foundation day celebration. Observed every year on August 1, it marks the establishment of East Bengal Club in 1920 and honours more than a century of sporting success, resilience and the emotions of millions of supporters. The occasion celebrates not only the club’s achievements on the field but also its deep connection with the people of undivided Bengal, whose stories of struggle, identity and hope have become an inseparable part of East Bengal’s history.
This year, the club celebrated its 107th Foundation Day with a series of programmes beginning at the club tent in the morning. The Red and Gold flag was hoisted, floral tributes were paid to founder Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri and the ceremonial lamp was lit in his honour. The celebrations later moved to Nazrul Mancha, where the evening programme brought together members of the East Bengal family from different walks of life.
For the football fraternity, the presentation of the club’s annual football awards remained one of the biggest highlights of the evening, as East Bengal recognised the performances and contributions of players and coaches over the past season.
Senior men’s team defender Anwar Ali was named Footballer of the Year. The India international played an important role at the heart of East Bengal’s defence and was recognised for his consistent performances in the Red and Gold jersey.
The Women’s Footballer of the Year Award was presented to Sathi Debnath. The defender was honoured for her contribution to the women’s team and her performances throughout the season.
Young forward Edmund Lalrindika received the Emerging Footballer Award, recognising his impressive progress with the senior team. The youngster enjoyed a breakthrough campaign and was rewarded for establishing himself as one of the club’s promising talents.
Reserve teams head coach Bino George was presented with the Pradip Bandyopadhyay Award in recognition of his contribution to football and his continued work in developing players and the game.
The Pride of Bengal Award was presented to Sulanjana Raul, recognising her remarkable rise in Indian women’s football. At just 18 years of age, Sulanjana has already become the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of East Bengal Women’s team, scoring more than 50 goals and surpassing Tulsi Hembram’s previous record of 46 goals. Her consistent performances and goalscoring ability have made her one of the brightest young talents in the state, with the award acknowledging both her achievements and her growing impact on Bengal football.
Apart from football, senior cricketer Ritam Porel was named the club’s Cricketer of the Year, while several personalities from sports, journalism, cinema and other fields were also honoured during the celebrations.
State Sports Minister Indranil Khan attended the programme and congratulated the football team on their 8-0 victory in their second Durand Cup match. Expressing his hopes for the future, he said he wished to see East Bengal lift every possible trophy before the club celebrates its next Foundation Day.
The celebration also honoured several personalities from different fields, while former players, club officials and supporters came together to mark another milestone in the club’s rich history. Among those present were head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, former captains Bhaskar Ganguly and Bikash Panji, along with several former footballers, distinguished guests and a large gathering of East Bengal supporters, making the 107th Foundation Day a memorable occasion for the Red and Gold family.
Others major award recipients from the evening:
- Excellence in Movie Award – Kaushik Ganguly (filmmaker and actor)
•Super Achiever Award – Prosenjit Chatterjee (actor)
•Ajay Basu Best Journalist Award – Bikrant Gupta
•Pushpen Sarkar Best Sports Photojournalist Award – Shankar Nag Das
•Bharat Gaurav Award – Sanjeev Sanyal and Pritam Chakraborty
•Swapan Bal Supporter of the Year Award – Monomoy Bhattacharya, Kalpana Chakraborty, Shyamal Majumdar and Riju Das
•Gopal Basu Cricketer of the Year Award – Ritam Porel
•Pankaj Gupta & Pratul Chakraborty Award – Former referees Bholanath Dutta and Piyush Roy
•Nasa Sen & Bomkesh Basu Lifetime Achievement Award – Former East Bengal captains Balai Mukherjee and Tarun Dey
Read more about Indian Football
