1996–97 National Football League (India)
The 1996–97 National Football League, also known as the Philips National League for sponsorship reasons,[3] was the inaugural season of the National Football League. The tournament began on 17 December 1996 and concluded on 16 March 1997.[1] Before the commencement, the All India Football Federation maintained that it would be a semi-professional tournament for the first two years.[4]
Dempo, courtesy a hat trick by Bhaichung Bhutia.[1] Air India's Godfrey Pereira was named the best player of the league and JCT Mills' Sukhwinder Singh, the best manager.[6] JCT Mills also won the Fairplay Trophy, which carried a purse of ₹2.5 lakh.[7]
The bottom two clubs in each group would not take part in the next edition, although
Mohun Bagan
would play the following season.
Overview
The first match of the inaugural season of the National Football League kicked off at around 5:45 p.m. (
Calcutta. It was inaugurated by then India's Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda. East Bengal defeated Mohammedan Sporting 2–1 with Raman Vijayan scoring a brace for his team; the first goal coming in the 10th minute.[8]
Teams
Stadia and locations
Tiruvananthapuram
Group stage
- Top four advance to the Championship stage.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JCT Mills
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 11 | Qualify for Championship stage |
| 2 | East Bengal | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 11 | |
| 3 | Salgaocar
|
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 9 | |
| 4 | Indian Bank | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Mohammedan Sporting
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Indian Telephone Industries | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 1 |
Source: rsssf.com
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dempo | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 12 | Qualify for Championship stage |
| 2 | Air India
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 10 | |
| 3 | Churchill Brothers
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4 | Mahindra & Mahindra
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 7 | |
| 5 | Mohun Bagan
|
5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Kerala Police
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 0 |
Source: rsssf.com
Championship stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JCT Mills
|
14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 8 | +18 | 30 | Champions |
| 2 | Churchill Brothers
|
14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 29 | |
| 3 | East Bengal | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 25 | |
| 4 | Dempo | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 18 | |
| 5 | Indian Bank | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 15 | |
| 6 | Air India
|
14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 16 | −5 | 15 | |
| 7 | Salgaocar
|
14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 13 | |
| 8 | Mahindra & Mahindra
|
14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 34 | −24 | 3 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Philips National League champions |
|---|
| JCT Mills 1st title |
Season statistics
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhaichung Bhutia5 | JCT Mills | Mahindra | 6–1 (H) | 9 February 1997 | [2] |
| Bhaichung Bhutia | JCT Mills | Dempo | 4–1 (A) | 16 March 1997 | [1] |
5 Player scored five goals
- Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away
1996-97 Season Roll of Honour
| Competition | Winner | Details |
|---|---|---|
| National Football League | JCT FC | 1st Championship |
| Federation Cup | East Bengal | Defeated Dempo SC 2:1 |
| Super Cup | East Bengal | Defeated JCT FC 0:0 (4:2 Pens) |
| Santosh Trophy | Bengal | Defeated Goa 1:0 |
| Governor's Gold Cup | Air India
|
Defeated Mohun Bagan 0:0 (4:3 Pens)
|
| 96th Rover's Cup | Salgaocar SC
|
Defeated Air India 1:0
|
| 102nd IFA Shield | JCT FC | Defeated Karkh Club (Iraq) 1:0 |
| Bordoloi Trophy | Mohun Bagan
|
Defeated East Bengal 2:1 |
| 5th Scissors Cup | Dempo SC | Defeated Indian Bank 1:0 |
| McDowell's Cup | Mohun Bagan
|
Defeated East Bengal 2:0 |
| Airlines Gold Cup | All Nepal FA XI | Defeated East Bengal 2:1 |
References
- ^ a b c d Menon, Ravi (17 March 1997). "JCT wins inaugural Philips NFL title". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ a b Saxena, Siddharth (10 February 1997). "Bhutia slams 5 past Mahindras". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 April 1997. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ "India File -- Starry opening to National Soccer League". The Indian Express. 14 December 1996. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ a b c Bose, Saibal (17 December 1996). "National League all set for kick-off". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Vasudevan, K. V. (17 March 1997). "Shattered dreams for Churchill". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "East Bengal shoot out JCT for inaugural Super Cup triumph". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. Archived from the original on 21 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Fairplay bonus for JCT". The Indian Express. 20 March 1997. Archived from the original on 21 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Bose, Saibal (22 April 1997). "Vijayan punishes Sporting with two goals". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
External links
- Philips National League at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation