West Bengal clinched the Santosh Trophy title for a record 33rd time with a 1-0 win against Kerala. Let’s look at the history of this National Football Championship, regarded as one of India’s legacy tournaments.
1941- Formalisation of Santosh Trophy
It was a time of club-level trophies dominance in Indian Football. The Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, and IFA Shield were some of the prestigious tournaments.
To address the need for a state-level national football championship in the country, the Indian Football Association (IFA) formalised the Santosh Trophy in 1941.
It was named after the former Maharaja of Santosh (now in Bangladesh), Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury, who was one of the founding members of the East Bengal football club and served as the president of the IFA for several years.
The runners-up trophy is called the Kamla Gupta Trophy. It was donated by Dr SK Gupta, another former IFA president, in memory of his wife. The trophy for the third-placed team is called the Sampangi Cup. It was named in memory of Sampangi, a renowned footballer from the Mysore region.
West Bengal’s Dominance
West Bengal won 33 Santosh Trophy titles including the latest edition in 2024 since winning the inaugural one in 1941 after beating Delhi 5-1. The state also holds the record for the most successive titles, having won six back-to-back editions between 1993 and 1999.
In 2024, West Bengal won its 33rd title by beating Kerala 1-0. The match-winner came through Robi Hansda in added time in the second half. Robi picked up Manotos Maji’s header into the box and netted the ball.
It was after six editions that West Bengal won the title. Coach Sanjoy Sen said, “In Bengal, it is all about winning the Santosh Trophy. To finish runners-up would be considered a failure. So, I was aware of the pressure but took up the challenge.”
Interesting Facts about the Santosh Trophy
Interestingly, the Santosh Trophy was formalised not only for the states and Union Territories of India but also for government institutions like the Services and Railways.
In 1960, the Services became the first institutional team to win the Santosh Trophy. They are also the most successful institutional team in the competition with seven titles, Railways won the titles thrice.
There is only one instance when Santosh Trophy had joint winners. In 1982, Bengal and Goa shared the title after playing out 0-0 draws in the final as well as the replay.
The Santosh Trophy 2022-23 final was played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to generate more interest and curiosity about the tournament internationally. The All India Football Federation engaged both the Indian and local communities to present the trophy at a global level.
