Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
club based in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...
. Founded in 1962, the club competed in the
I-League
The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the wi ...
, then top tier of
Indian football league system, before closing down at the end of
2009–10 season.
Affiliated with the
MFA, the club participated in both the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
, and
MDFA Elite League.
Nicknamed "Jeepmen", the club was popularly referred as India's MU after the
English Premier League powerhouse
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
.
It was one of the most popular football clubs in the country and was known for its consistent good performance in the last four decades of its existence. The club had won many major tournaments in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, and also clinched an international tournament,
2003 POMIS Cup
The 2003 POMIS Cup was the 16th championship of an international soccer club tournament held in Maldives. The group stage started on 14 October 2003 and the final was played on 25 October 2003 at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives.
Team ...
in the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
.
History
Formation and journey
The club was founded in 1962 as the ''Mahindra & Mahindra Allied Sports Club'' under the patronage of
Mahindra Group.
They secured admission into
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
's
Harwood League in 1964 and won the first title in 1970. Players like renowned goalkeeper
E.N. Sudhir appeared with the club at that time. The club later lifted its first knock-out tournament,
Bandodkar Gold Trophy in 1980. They later clinched
Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
title in 1998, and 2001–02.
In leagues of Mumbai
Since their inception, Mahindra became a member of
Western India Football Association
Western India Football Association (WIFA) is the state governing body for football in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the sports national governing body.
History
The Bombay Football Assoc ...
(WIFA) and later in 1983, became affiliated with
Mumbai District Football Association
Mumbai Football Association (MFA), formerly known as Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA), is an organisation that governs the football in and around the Indian city of Mumbai. It is a member of the Western India Football Association, ...
(formerly ''BDFA''). They participated in later editions of
Bombay Harwood League alongside Maharashtra Football League, and won the Harwood League four times in 1970, 1982, 1984 and 1985.
Mahindra later participated in
W.I.F.A. Super Division from 1990 to 1999 and clinched WIFA title in 1995.
They later participated in
MDFA Elite Division
The Mumbai Football League, also known as the Harwood League, is organised by Mumbai Football Association (MFA) as a ladder-based competition involving a total of five divisions and over 300 teams. It is the top football league in Mumbai and ...
and lifted trophies consecutively from 2000 to 2004 and 2006 to 2009.
[
]
NFL and other domestic competitions
From 2002 to 2003, Czech coach Karel Stromšík
Karel Stromšík (born 12 April 1958) is a former football goalkeeper from Czechoslovakia. He was a member of the national team that competed at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing 2 group games after replacing the injured Stanislav Seman in the ...
managed club in the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
. In the summer of 2006, it was renamed to ''Mahindra United''. The shirt colour was also changed from orange to red.
Team played its NFL home matches at the Cooperage Ground
The Cooperage Football Ground is a football stadium located in Nariman Point, Mumbai, India. It is currently home to multiple Mumbai Football League clubs.
The Western India Football Association has operated from the Cooperage Ground since 19 ...
in Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, but due to the bad state of the stadium, as of February 7, 2006, they had to play almost all of their NFL games at away venues.
Mahindra were crowned champions of NFL Premier Division for the first time in club's history in the 2005–06 season, with two games to spare. They followed it up by beating their arch-rivals, Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...
for the first time in the season. They are also two-time winners of the Indian Federation Cup
The Federation Cup (also known as Hero Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an annual knockout football competition in Indian football which started in 1977. From its inception, until I-League was started in 1997 (then called NFL), it ...
, having won the title in 2003 and 2005.[India – List of Federation Cup Winners]
, RSSSF.com The win in 2005 ensured that Mahindra became the first club in the history of Indian football to win the Federation Cup and National Football League double in the same season.
They did however lose the NFL Super Cup to East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = Ea ...
by a margin of 1–2.
Later years
In the 2006 edition of IFA Shield, Mahindra United emerged as champions, defeating Mohun Bagan AC
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
by 1–0 in Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
. They also participated in the 2006 Federation Cup and achieved third place, defeating Dempo SC
Dempo Sports Club, or simply known as Dempo, is an Indian professional football club based in Panjim, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo Mining Corporation Limited. Popularly known a ...
4–2 in the penalty-shootout. In the 2008 edition of IFA Shield, they defeated South African side Santos FC
Santos Futebol Clube (), commonly known simply as Santos or Santos FC and nicknamed the ''Peixe'' (; "fish"), is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a ''bairro'' in the city of Santos. It is also the team with the most goals in ...
by 3–1 to win the title.
Head coach of the team was Derrick Pereira
Derrick Pereira (born 17 March 1962) is an Indian association football manager and former player, who managed then I-League 2nd Division club FC Goa Reserves and the India national under-23 football team. He is also the technical director of I ...
. Players like Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Manjit Singh and Surojit Bose have been associated with the team. The club also tried forming under-15 and under-19 teams in order to nurture the young talent in the country.
Stadium
Mahindra United used the Cooperage Football Ground
A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other similar containers from timber staves that were usually heated or steamed to make them pliable.
Journeymen coopers also traditionally made ...
, located in Nariman Point, Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, for its home matches of both the National Football League and I-League, alongside MDFA Elite League. It had a capacity of nearly 12,000 spectators.
Disbanding the club
In 2010, it was announced that club will be disbanded after the end of the 2009–10 I-League
This season marks the addition of four new teams, with Lajong SSC, Pune FC, Salgaocar Sports Club and Viva Kerala are confirmed to participate in the I-League. With the inception of these four clubs, many club transfers have been undergone w ...
. The decision was a major blow for football in Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, and financial reason was one of the main factors behind it. Alan Durante, the chairman of Mahindra United, who's been with the team since 1991 and under whom Mahindra have won almost everything in Indian football, said it wasn't about costs.
Ruzbeh Irani, executive vice-president of the club, said: “It was in line with our group’s philosophy and shift, from taking part in professional sport to developing it. We feel we can make much difference to sport in India at the school level in football, instead of running a professional team”.
Achievements
Overall
Mahindra United had won almost all the major competitions in India. It was the only team from Mumbai to win Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
, the second oldest football competition in the world, twice. It was also the first team from Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...
to win the Harwood League and Nadkarni Cup three times in a row. The club has also been two times winner of IFA Shield and Federation Cup. There are several other championships like Mammen Mappillai Cup, Rovers Cup, Chief Minister's Cup and Super Cup where Mahindra United has registered victories.
On international level, Mahindra United achieved success through lifting the 2003 POMIS Cup
The 2003 POMIS Cup was the 16th championship of an international soccer club tournament held in Maldives. The group stage started on 14 October 2003 and the final was played on 25 October 2003 at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives.
Team ...
trophy in the Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, beating Club Valencia 3–1. They also became the first Indian club to reach the quarter-finals of the 2007 AFC Cup
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
, but their journey ended with an aggregate 4–5 defeat to Lebanese side Al-Najmeh SC.
Ranking
Mahindra United emerged as top ranked Indian team, and 464 universally, in the international rankings of clubs during the first ten years of the 21st century (2001–2010), issued by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
in 2011.
Honours
Invitational
* POMIS Cup[The POMIS Cup (''President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup''), an international club football tournament incorporated in 1987, is the only international club tournament held in ]the Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, organized by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM).
**Champions (1): 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
Continental
*AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying ...
**Quarter-final (1): 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
Domestic
*National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
**Champions (1): 2005–06
**Third place (2): 2003–04, 2006–07
* National Football League III
**Third place (1): 2006–07
*Durand Cup
The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...
**Champions (3): 1998, 2001–02, 2008
**Runners-up (3): 1990, 2000, 2007
*Federation Cup (India)
The Federation Cup (also known as Hero MotoCorp, Hero Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Football in India, Indian football which started ...
**Champions (2): 2003, 2005
**Runners-up (3): 1991, 1993, 2007
*Indian Super Cup
AIFF Super Cup, also called the Super Cup or Hero Super Cup (for sponsorship ties), is an annual knockout football competition in Indian football. It is organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Competition is open to the clubs th ...
**Champions (1): 2003
**Runners-up (1): 2006
* IFA Shield[ Fourth oldest football tournament, organized by the ]IFA
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
( W.B.), and played between the local clubs of West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
and other invited ones.
**Champions (2): 2006, 2008
* Rovers Cup
**Champions (1): 1993
**Runners-up (2): 1970–71, 1990
* Mumbai Harwood League (MDFA Elite Division
The Mumbai Football League, also known as the Harwood League, is organised by Mumbai Football Association (MFA) as a ladder-based competition involving a total of five divisions and over 300 teams. It is the top football league in Mumbai and ...
)
**Champions (13): 1970, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
* Nadkarni Cup
The Nadkarni Cup is a football competition in Mumbai, India, which was first held in 1908. From 1908–1913, it was known as Junior Rovers Cup which was contested by school and college teams of Bombay (now Mumbai), with the trophy originall ...
**Champions (3): 1986, 2001, 2002
**Runners-up (4): 1968, 1971, 1974, 2005
*Mammen Mappillai Trophy
**Champions (1): 1999
* Bandodkar Gold Trophy
**Champions (1): 1980
**Runners-up (1): 1988
* Sait Nagjee Trophy
**Runners-up (1): 1975
Others
*Chief Ministers Cup
**Champions (1): 1998
Performance in AFC competitions
*AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying ...
: 3 appearances
::2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
: Group stage
::2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
: Group stage
::2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
: Quarter-finals
Continental record
Notable former players
''For all former or notable Mahindra United players with a Wikipedia article, see: Mahindra United FC players''.
Foreign players
* Mohammed Monwar Hossain (1998–1999)
* Bassam Al-Khatib
Bassam Al-Khatib (born October 5, 1975) is a retired Jordanian professional footballer who played most of his career for Jordanian club Al-Ahli Amman alongside Jordan national football team. He is currently assistant coach for Jordanian footb ...
(1999–2000)
* Felix Aboagye
Felix Ahmed Aboagye (born 5 December 1975) is a retired Ghanaian professional footballer who played primarily as a striker. He last professional club football for Mumbai FC in the I-League.
International career
He represented his homeland by ...
(2003–2004)
* Raphaël Patron Akakpo (2003–2005)
* Charles Asamoah (2004–2005)
* José Ramirez Barreto (2005–2006)
* Yusif Yakubu (2005–2008)
* Andrews Pomeyie Mensah (2006–2008)
* Filipe Azevedo (2006–2007)
* Douhou Pierre (2007–2009)
* Lamine Tamba (2007–2010)
* Bello Razaq
Rasaq Oladimeji Bello (born 19 August 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer, who plays for Aryan as a centre back in the Calcutta Football League.
Career
He first established himself in Indian football while playing for United SC. He con ...
(2008)
Final staff
Youth teams
Mahindra United under–19
In an attempt to nurture young talent and promote football in Mumbai, Mahindra United fielded an under-19 team from 2003. The team performed extremely well in the National Football League (Under-19)
The National Football League (Under-19) (NFL Under-19) was an annual played a youth league competition featuring football clubs from India. Founded in 2001 through the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the NFL was the first youth football ...
and reached the semi-finals, beating teams like Churchill Brothers
Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually parti ...
and Salgaocar.
Mahindra United participated in I-league (Under-19), held since 2008.
Under–15 and 17
Spurred by the success of its U-19 team, Mahindra United fielded both U-15 and U-17 teams from 2006. The U-15 team played ''Manchester United Premier Cup Asian Qualifiers'' held at Kolkata, where top NFL clubs also participated.
Youth setup has also participated in the Manchester United Premier Cup
The Manchester United Premier Cup is a global youth football tournament that was established by Nike in 1993.
History
The tournament was established by Nike in 1993 as the Nike Premier Cup and featured 624 teams from 15 European countries. Th ...
in 2010.
Managerial history
* Syed Shahid Hakim (1998–1999)
* Harish Rao (1999–2000), (2001–2002)
* Shabbir Ali (2000–2001)
* Karel Stromšík
Karel Stromšík (born 12 April 1958) is a former football goalkeeper from Czechoslovakia. He was a member of the national team that competed at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing 2 group games after replacing the injured Stanislav Seman in the ...
(2002–2003)
* Dave Booth (2003–2004), (2009–2010)
* Syed Nayeemuddin
Syed Nayeemuddin (born 1944), known as Nayeem, is an Indian football coach and former player. He played for and was captain of the Indian national team[Derrick Pereira
Derrick Pereira (born 17 March 1962) is an Indian association football manager and former player, who managed then I-League 2nd Division club FC Goa Reserves and the India national under-23 football team. He is also the technical director of I ...](_bla ...<br></span></div> (2004–2005)
* <div class=)
(2005–2009)
Other department
Field hockey
The club had its field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
team that participated in both the Beighton Cup and Bombay Gold Cup
Bombay Gold Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). It was instituted in 1955 by Naval Tata, the then President of the Bombay Hockey Association. The Cup was donated by the then Chief Minister of Mahara ...
.
Honours
*Bombay Gold Cup
Bombay Gold Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). It was instituted in 1955 by Naval Tata, the then President of the Bombay Hockey Association. The Cup was donated by the then Chief Minister of Mahara ...
**Runners-up (4): 1974, 1976, 1982, 1986
*Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup
**Champions (1): 1980
See also
* Sports in Maharashtra
* List of football clubs in Mumbai
* Defunct football clubs in India
Defunct (no longer in use or active) may refer to:
* ''Defunct'' (video game), 2014
* Zombie process or defunct process, in Unix-like operating systems
See also
*
* :Former entities
* End-of-life product
* Obsolescence
Obsolescence is t ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Mahindra United FC
at Global Sports Archive
Mahindra United FC
at WorldFootball
Mahindra United FC
at flashscore.in
{{Mahindra Group
Association football clubs established in 1962
Association football clubs disestablished in 2010
Mahindra Group
Defunct football clubs in India
I-League clubs
Works association football clubs in India
1962 establishments in Maharashtra
2010 disestablishments in India
Sport in Maharashtra
Football clubs in Mumbai
Mahindra United FC