Putting bitter club rivalries aside, the city’s Big Three football clubs came together to mourn the loss of Pele, widely regarded as the greatest footballer the world has ever seen, and to remember his magical presence that wowed the city 45 years ago. Pele died on Friday after a long battle with colon cancer in a Sao Paulo hospital, casting a pall over the football-crazed city of Kolkata. It was a ‘Black Day’ for Mohun Bagan, the country’s only club against whom the three-time World Cup winner played an exhibition match near the end of his glittering career.
The club flew their flag at half mast, as did their rival clubs East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting in the Kolkata Maidan. Mohun Bagan secretary Debasish Dutta also stated that the ‘Pele Gate’ would be ready on the membership tent soon.
“We have already declared it, and work will begin shortly; hopefully, it will be open to the public soon,” Dutta told PTI.
Dutta also recalled their exhibition match at Eden Gardens, which Mohun Bagan nearly won 2-1 before a controversial penalty earned the star-studded Cosmos a 2-2 draw.
“September 24, 1977 is a watershed moment in the history of the membership. We represented the country by playing against the New York Cosmos. Mohun Bagan was well-known as India’s “only” soccer club.
The soccer king has passed away, but his legacy will live on!
December 30, 2022 — Mohun Bagan (@Mohun Bagan)
“It was a watershed moment in the club’s history. People will come and go, but this day will be remembered forever,” he said.
“It was a watershed moment in the club’s history. People will come and go, but this day will be remembered forever,” he said.
Later within the afternoon, metropolis’s former footballers and directors of the Big Three golf equipment, West Bengal Sports minister Aroop Biswas gathered on the iconic Saltlake Stadium to pay their homage to the ‘King of Football’. A photograph was displayed in the stadium foyer, where people gathered to pay their respects, offering flowers and garlanding the Brazilian maestro. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan chiefs had been walking together, remembering his legacy.
