Durand Cup

The Durand Football Tournament or Durand Cup is a football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla.[1] It is co-hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and Osians.[2] The Tournament is the most oldest existing football tournament in Asia[3] and 3rd of the most oldest existing football tournamens in the world.

Durand Cup
Founded1888 (1888)
Number of teams16
Related competitionsIndian Super League
I-League
I-League 2nd Division
Current championsGokulam Kerala
(1st title)
Most successful team(s)East Bengal
Mohun Bagan
(16 titles each)
Television broadcastersStar Sports, DD Sports (live telecast)
Hotstar, Addatimes (online streaming)
Websitewww.durandcup.in
2019 Durand Cup

The Tournament is named after its founder, Sir Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary in charge of India from 1884 to 1894. Sir Mortimer was recuperating from illness at the leading hill station of British India, Simla in northern India. Having become conscious of the value of sport as a means to maintain health, he decided to present a prize to encourage sporting competition in India. At first it was effectively an Army cup, and largely the preserve of the British Indian Army troops in India, but over the years it widened its appeal and opened up to civilian teams, until it became a more open and conventional sporting contest. It is now one of the leading prizes in Indian football. The final major administrative change was when the Army passed on the actual running of the Tournament to a civilian administration in 2006. The Army presence is maintained by the participation of several military teams, including an Army XI, which won the competition as recently as 2005.

The Raj Era

The Durand Tournament was initially a military affair, open to the Army in India: the British Army, the regular Indian Army and other Indian military units, such as Provincial frontier-security regiments and the Volunteer regiments of the reserves. In practice, however, the Indian Army traditionally preferred field hockey to football, a fact which has been evident from the Indian and Pakistani dominance of that sport in international events such as the Olympics. The exception to this tradition were the Nepalese men of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Initially, this tended to leave the field open to the British Army until football's popularity took hold and it became the more universal sport it is today. After the Second World War, the British Army left India and the tournament was opened to non-military teams to maintain the level of competition.

The initial matches were played in Dagshai, which is actually a short distance outside Simla. The inaugural Final of the Tournament, in 1888, was a Scottish derby, with the first name on the trophy being the Royal Scots Fusiliers, who beat the Highland Light Infantry with a score of 2–1. The Durand Cup has been suspended twice, due to the two World Wars.

Post-Independence

In 1940 the venue was transferred to New Delhi, and it is now held at the Ambedkar Stadium in the city. Following India's independence in 1947, the tournament was hosted by the Indian Army, with Durand Football Tournament Society being headed by three Service Chiefs.[4]

The most successful teams are currently East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, accounting for no less 32 cup victories over the years, with 16 wins each. With the eclipse of high-profile teams from Hyderabad, since 1970 the Durand Cup has been won mostly by teams from Kolkata, such as East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, or from the Punjab, such as the Border Security Force and JCT Mills. Mohun Bagan also won the first title of the new Millennium. In recent years, however, Goa has also produced a run of winning form. In 1997 a team from the south won for the first time, thanks to FC Kochin. In 2002 for the first time a team from Mumbai won a repeat victory, when Mahindra United won its second title, following its 1998 win. In 2003 Goa matched this feat, when Salgaocar added to its 1999 victory. In 2005 another Goan side, Sporting Clube de Goa, missed the title by a whisker when the Army XI produced an upset to win, but the following year was undeniably Goan when a third Goan team, Dempo S.C., thrashed JCT 2–0 in the 2006 finals. Recent seasons has been dominated by yet another Goan team: Churchill Brothers. They won the tournament three times: in 2007, 2009 and 2011, and narrowly missed a hat-trick, as runners-up in 2008; they were also runners-up in 2001–02.

The winning team is presented with three trophies: The President’s Cup (first presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India); the Durand Cup (the original challenge prize, which is a rolling trophy); and the Shimla Trophy (first presented by citizens of Shimla in 1904 and, since 1965, a rolling trophy).

The Durand Cup Trophies

Despite being the de facto Indian counterpart to the FA Cup in England, its winners do not qualify for Asian Football Confederation tournaments. The I-League and Federation Cup (League Cup) are the only ways to qualify for the Asian cup.

India's armed forces deserve credit for keeping the Durand Cup tradition alive over the decades. In 2006, Osians, the art house, took over the running and management of the Durand Cup. Prize money, TV coverage and the quality of the football souvenirs produced have improved dramatically.

Results
Year Winners Score Runners-up Ref.
1888Royal Scots Fusiliers2–1Highland Light Infantry
1889Highland Light Infantry8–1Simla Rifles (2nd Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps)
1890Highland Light Infantry2–0Royal Irish Fusiliers
1891King's Own Scottish Borderers2–0East Lancashire Regiment
1892King's Own Scottish Borderers3–1Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1893Highland Light Infantry2–1Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1894Highland Light Infantry2–1Royal Scots Fusiliers
1895Highland Light Infantry1–0Somerset Light Infantry
1896Somerset Light Infantry6–1Black Watch
1897Black Watch1–0Simla Rifles (2nd Punjab Volunteer Rifle Corps)
1898Black Watch4–0North Staffordshire Regiment
1899Black Watch3–0Yorkshire Regiment
1900South Wales Borderers2–0East Lancashire Regiment
1901South Wales Borderers2–1South Staffordshire Regiment
1902Hampshire Regiment2–1East Lancashire Regiment
1903Royal Irish Rifles2–1Queen's Regiment
1904North Staffordshire Regiment1–0Black Watch
1905Royal Dragoons2–0Dorsetshire Regiment
1906Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)2–1Bedfordshire Regiment
1907Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)2–0Royal Welsh Fusiliers
1908Lancashire Fusiliers2–0Royal Irish Rifles
1909Lancashire Fusiliers2–0King's Regiment
1910Royal Scots2–0King's Royal Rifle Corps
1911Black Watch1–0Lancashire Fusiliers
1912Royal Scots1–0Lancashire Fusiliers
1913Lancashire Fusiliers2–0King's Royal Rifle Corps
1914–19Tournament not held, due to World War I
1920Black Watch2–0Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
1921Worcestershire Regiment1–0Royal Fusiliers
1922Lancashire Fusiliers1–0Royal Field Artillery
1923Cheshire Regiment1–0Essex Regiment
1924Worcestershire Regiment2–0Essex Regiment
1925Sherwood Foresters2–0Worcestershire Regiment
1926Durham Light Infantry1–0Sherwood Foresters
1927York & Lancaster Regiment1–0East Indian Railway Regiment
1928Sherwood Foresters4–0York & Lancaster Regiment
1929York & Lancaster Regiment3–0East Yorkshire Regiment
1930York & Lancaster Regiment2–0Leicestershire Regiment
1931Devonshire Regiment3–0Border Regiment
1932King's Shropshire Light Infantry2–1Devonshire Regiment
1933King's Shropshire Light Infantry3–2Leicestershire Regiment
1934Royal Signals3–1Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1935Border Regiment1–0Royal Norfolk Regiment
1936Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders2–0Green Howards
1937Border Regiment3–1Royal Scots
1938South Wales Borderers2–0Border Regiment
1939 Tournament not held, due to World War II in Europe
1940Mohammedan Sporting Club2–1Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1941–49 Tournament not held, due to World War II & to Partition
1950Hyderabad City Police2–2, 1–0Mohun Bagan AC
1951East Bengal Club1–1, 2–1Rajasthan Armed Constabulary
1952East Bengal Club1–0Hyderabad City Police
1953Mohun Bagan AC4–0National Defence Academy
1954Hyderabad City Police1–1, 1–0Hindustan Aircraft Limited
1955Madras Regimental Centre3–2Indian Air Force
1956East Bengal Club2–0Hyderabad City Police
1957Hyderabad City Police2–1East Bengal Club
1958Madras Regimental Centre2–0Gorkha Brigade
1959Mohun Bagan AC1–1, 3–1Mohammedan Sporting Club
1960Mohun Bagan AC & East Bengal Club - (joint winners) 1-1, 0-0
1961Andhra Pradesh Police1–0Mohun Bagan AC
1962 Tournament not held, due to Indo-China War
1963Mohun Bagan AC0–0, 2–0Andhra Pradesh Police
1964Mohun Bagan AC2–0East Bengal Club
1965Mohun Bagan AC2–0Punjab Police
1966Gorkha Brigade2–0Sikh Regimental Centre
1967East Bengal Club1–0Bengal-Nagpur Railway
1968Border Security Force1–0East Bengal Club
1969Gorkha Brigade1–0Border Security Force
1970East Bengal Club2–0Mohun Bagan AC
1971Border Security Force0–0, 1–0Leaders Club Jalandhar
1972East Bengal Club0–0, 1–0Mohun Bagan AC
1973Border Security Force2–1Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (Bikaner)
1974Mohun Bagan AC3–2JCT Mills
1975Border Security Force1–1, 2–1JCT Mills
1976 Border Security Force & JCT Mills - (joint winners) 0-0, 0-0
1977Mohun Bagan AC1–1, 2–1JCT Mills
1978East Bengal Club3–0Mohun Bagan AC
1979Mohun Bagan AC1–0Punjab Police
1980Mohun Bagan AC1–0Mohammedan Sporting Club
1981Border Security Force1–0JCT Mills
1982 Mohun Bagan AC & East Bengal Club - (joint winners) 0-0
1983JCT Mills2–1Mohun Bagan AC
1984Mohun Bagan AC2–0East Bengal Club
1985Mohun Bagan AC0–0 (aet, 3–2 pens)JCT Mills
1986Mohun Bagan AC1–0East Bengal Club
1987JCT Mills1–0Mohun Bagan AC
1988Border Security Force3–2East Bengal Club
1989East Bengal Club0–0 (aet, 3–1 pens)Mohun Bagan AC
1990East Bengal Club3–2Mahindra & Mahindra
1991East Bengal Club1–1 (aet, 5–3 pens)Border Security Force
1992JCT Mills1–0Mohammedan Sporting Club
1993East Bengal Club1–0Punjab State Electricity Board
1994Mohun Bagan AC1–0East Bengal Club
1995East Bengal Club0–0 (aet, 4–3 pens)Tata Football Academy
1996JCT Mills1–0al-Naft (Baghdad)
1997FC Kochin3–1Mohun Bagan AC
1998Mahindra & Mahindra2–1East Bengal Club
1999Salgaocar Sports Club0–0 (aet, 3–2 [pens)East Bengal Club
2000Mohun Bagan AC1–1, 1–0 (Golden goal)Mahindra United
2001–02Mahindra United5–0Churchill Brothers SC
2002–03East Bengal Club3–0Army XI
2003–04Salgaocar Sports Club1–1 (aet, 4–3 pens)East Bengal Club
2004East Bengal Club2–1Mohun Bagan AC
2005Army XI0–0 (aet, 5–4 pens)Sporting Clube de Goa
2006Dempo Sports Club1–0JCT Mills
2007Churchill Brothers SC1–0Mahindra United
2008Mahindra United3–2Churchill Brothers SC
2009Churchill Brothers SC3–1Mohun Bagan AC
2010Prayag United1–0JCT FC
2011Churchill Brothers SC5–4Prayag United
2012Air India3–2Dodsal
2013Mohammedan Sporting Club2–1ONGC
2014Salgaocar FC1–0Pune
2016Army Green0–0(aet,6–5 pens)NEROCA[5][6]
2019Gokulam Kerala2–1Mohun Bagan AC[7][8]

Performance by team
Team Champion Runners-up Win % in Finals Last win
East Bengal161061.542004
Mohun Bagan161255.172000
BSF7277.781988
JCT5645.41996
Black Watch5271.41920
Highland Light Infantry5183.31895
Hyderabad City Police4357.11954
Lancashire Fusiliers4266.61922
Mahindra United3350.02008
York & Lancaster Regiment3175.01930
Churchill Brothers3260.02011
Salgaocar301002014
Mohammedan2250.02013
Border Regiment2250.01937
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)2166.61907
Gorkha Brigade2166.61969
Royal Scots Fusiliers2166.61912
Sherwood Foresters2166.61928
King's Shropshire Light Infantry201001933
Madras Regimental Centre201001958
King's Own Scottish Borderers201001892
South Wales Borderers201001901
FC Kochin101001997
Prayag United S.C.101002010
Air India101002012
Army Green101002016
Gokulam Kerala101002019
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References
  1. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India : Latest news, India, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K, sports, cricket". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  2. "The 121st Osian's-Durand Cup to Kick off Tomarrow". Ministry of Defence, Press Information Bureau. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  3. "Durand Cup back after three years, tickets priced from Rs 20".
  4. "About us". Durand Football. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  5. "Army Green beat Neroca FC to win Durand Cup". Times of India. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. "Durand Cup Football: Army Green Crowned Champions After Shoot-Out". NDTV. 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. "Mohun Bagan vs Gokulam Kerela 2019 Durand Final". durandcup.in. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  8. "Durand Cup: Gokulam Kerala beats Mohun Bagan 2–1 to win title". Sportstar. The Hindu. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
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