ISL: Tears flow as East Bengal fans celebrate end of a 22-year drought

The Kishore Bharati Krirangan, on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, is a modest football venue by any stretch of the imagination, with a capacity of around 10,000 fans. However, it turned into an emotional cauldron on a sultry Thursday night when the Indian Super League (ISL) champions were decided there for the first time on the final day of the 2025–26 season, as East Bengal ended an agonising 22-year wait for a national league title.

No wonder the floodgates of emotion opened as soon as the final whistle blew, as the red-and-gold brigade secured all three points in a nervy encounter against Inter Kashi. The victory helped them edge past arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant on goal difference to lift the biggest prize in Indian football. If the 22-year wait sounds familiar, it is because Arsenal had ended a drought of the same duration before clinching the Premier League title on Tuesday.

Tears flowed and red-and-gold scarves swirled in the air as East Bengal underlined their status as first-time champions of the elite league — a triumph that also earned them the right to represent India in the AFC Champions League.

“It seems we have a connection with Arsenal,” club supremo Debabrata Sarkar joked after the winners’ trophy was handed over to the players at the stadium clubhouse.

The photo booth set up for the team members to pose with the trophy soon became irrelevant as pandemonium broke loose after the final whistle. Fans invaded the pitch, while the police on duty eventually gave in to public demand and allowed supporters onto the ground for a closer glimpse of their heroes.

The free-for-all inside the ground became alarming after a point as the nightmarish memories of Messi’s visit to Salt Lake Stadium last December was still fresh in memory. Kalyan Choubey, the president of All India Football Federation (AIFF) who was in attendance to present the trophy, finally did the honours within the confines of the clubhouse to prevent any untoward crowd frenzy.

The last national league East Bengal had won a national league was the erstwhile I-League in 2004 when the likes of Baichung Bhutia, Alvito Da Cunha of an earlier generation used to ply their trade. The elite ISL was introduced with much fanfare in 2014, where East Bengal made a late entry and could never match the strength of Mohun Bagan’s financial muscle and started losing ground – having to rebuild their team from scratch thrice and being constantly on the hunt for a stable sponsor. 

It’s in this backdrop that the title assumes remarkable significance for a team which prides on it’s ethnic origins of being a voice for the displaced people from across the border. ‘’For a club like East Bengal, it was heartbreaking to keep missing out on a national league year after year – and concede ground to our arch rivals. If you look at the head-to-head clashes over the years and across tournaments, East Bengal are still far ahead but when it comes to ISL, we have never been able to beat them. However, this title could be a gamechanger for the future,’’ remarked Rupak Saha, the club secretary.

The curtains hence came down on a truncated version of the elite league which till this January, looked a non-starter with no commercial partner in sight alongwith no confirmation of the official broadcaster. The question mark over the fate of the league, not to speak of the funding of the champion side, who are being bankrolled by the Emami Group at the moment, are also major talking points for the coming months.

There is hence no doubt that their title could not have come at a better time for the historic club. For now, they can savour a well-earned title earned Oscar Bruzon, a journeyman Spanish coach, who turned around the club from the brink after taking charge only last year!