Mohun Bagan on Monday decided to introduce Best Administrator Award in their annual day celebrations in memory of their former general secretary Anjan Mitra who died last year. Indian Football Association secretary Joydeep Mukherjee will get the inaugural award on the Mohun Bagan Day on Wednesday which will be a virtual affair in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The club executive Committee on the proposal of president Swapan Sadhan Bose has unanimously decided to confer the Best Administrator award for 2019-2020 to Shri Joydeep Mukherjee for his untiring efforts in reviving Kolkata football,” a Mohun Bagan statement said. The All India Football Federation recently ranked IFA, the football governing body in West Bengal, as number one in the Performance Assessment for the 2019-20 season.
Mukherjee, who took charge of the IFA as its General Secretary last year, recently unveiled his plans to set up a striker’s academy in the state to be headed by legendary Tulsidas Balaram. Hockey stalwart Ashok Kumar, a key member of India’s 1975 World Cup-winning team, will be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Gurbux Singh and Palash Nandi will be given the club’s highest honour, the Mohun Bagan Ratna. Mohun Bagan Day is celebrated every year on July 29 to commemorate their IFA Shield triumph in 1911 when defeated East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 to become the first Indian club to end the British stranglehold on the tournament.
Full list of Awardees:
Mohun Bagan Ratna: Gurbux Singh (Hockey) and Palash Nandi (Cricket); Lifetime Achievement Award: Ashok Kumar (Hockey), Pranab Ganguly (Football), Monoranjan Porel (Athletics); Best Footballer: Joseba Beitia (Senior); Best Youth Player: Sajal Bag (U-18 team); Best Administrator: Joydeep Mukherjee (IFA).