The National Football League (NFL) was the men's highest level of the Indian football league system from 1996 to 2007. Founded by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 1996,the NFL was the first football league in India to be organized on a national scale. The AIFF then added a second division in 1997 and a third division was soon added by the governing body in 2006. The NFL was eventually replaced by the I-League for the 2007–08 season in order to professionalize the sport in India.
Inivalappil Mani Vijayan,also known by the nickname Kalo Harin (Blackbuck),is a former professional football player who also captained the India national football team. He played as a striker,where he formed a successful attacking partnership with Bhaichung Bhutia for the India national football team in the late nineties and early 2000s. Vijayan was crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993,1997 and 1999,the first player to win the award multiple times. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award in 2003.
Subhash Bhowmick was an Indian football player and manager. During his playing career,he represented the "Big Two" of Kolkata football,East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He also represented India in various international tournaments between 1970 and 1985.
Salgaocar Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Vasco,Goa. Being one of the country's most successful clubs,it is currently operating youth teams. Until the disfunction of club's senior team in June 2023,Salgaocar competed in the Goa Professional League.
Tollygunge Agragami Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club known for its football section. It is based in Tollygunge,Kolkata,West Bengal. Founded in 1943 as "Russa Agragami Samity",the club competes in Calcutta Premier Division League.
Pradip Kumar BanerjeeFIFAOM was an Indian professional footballer who played as a striker for the India national football team. He also captained the national team and later on became the coach of the national team. He represented India in 52 official matches and scored 16 official goals for the country. He was one of the first recipients of Arjuna Award,when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1990 and was named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by IFFHS. In 2004,he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit,the highest honour awarded by FIFA.
Deepak Kumar Mondal is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A graduate of the Tata Football Academy,An Arjuna Award winner,he was one of India's most prominent right backs for over a decade,earning 47 caps with the India national team. Mondal also played with both the Kolkata giants,East Bengal and Mohun Bagan,spending five years at each club,captaining both of them.
Bengal Mumbai Football Club,known by its abbreviation BMFC,was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai,Maharashtra. Founded in 1998,they have competed in the National Football League II,alongside the MDFA Elite League. It is the second professionally founded football club in India and the first in Mumbai. The team was dissolved in 2011.
Syed Nayeemuddin,known as Nayeem,is an Indian football coach and former player. He played for and captained the India national team. He later managed Mahindra United,Brothers Union,Dhaka Mohammedan,and Bangladesh national team.
Karim Bencherifa is a Moroccan football manager and former player,who is head coach the Singapore women's national team. Bencherifa has coached teams in his native Morocco,Malta,Brunei,Singapore,India and the Republic of Guinea. He received some of his training in Germany.
Havildar Peter Thangaraj was an Indian football player and a non-commissioned officer in the Indian Army. Thangaraj played for the Indian national side at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. He was voted Asia's best goalkeeper in 1958. Thangaraj was a recipient of Arjuna Award for the year 1967.
Shabbir Ali is an Indian football manager and former player. He was awarded the Dhyan Chand Award,the highest award in Indian sports for lifetime achievement,given by Government of India in 2011. He is the first footballer to be named for the Dhyan Chand Award.
Harjinder Singh is a former Indian footballer and coach who played and coached all his career for Jagatjit Cotton &Textile Football Club in the I-League.
Rajib Ghosh is an Indian professional footballer who last played as a defender for Calcutta Premier Division side Bhawanipore. He also represented West Bengal in Santosh Trophy,winning the 2009–10 season.
Mohammed Habib was an Indian footballer who played as a forward for the India national team which he also captained. He is also considered by many Indians as one of the best footballers the country has ever produced. He was popularly known as Bade Mia in the Indian football world.
The 1998 Indian Federation Cup,also known as 1998 Kalyani Black Label Federation Cup due to sponsorship reasons,was the 21st season of the Indian Federation Cup. It was held between 23 August and 12 September 1998. Salgaocar were the defending champions,but were eliminated in the first round by State Bank of Travancore. Mohun Bagan won the tournament for the tenth time,following a 2–1 over East Bengal in the final played at the Salt Lake Stadium,Kolkata,a replay of the previous edition's semifinal when the latter won. Amit Das and Hemanta Dora of Mohun Bagan were named the Player and Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Thongam Tababi Devi is an Indian footballer who plays as a forward. She has been a member of the India women's national team.
Sukumar Samajpati was an Indian professional footballer. He played predominantly as a forward,and was part of the Indian squad that finished runners-up at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup in Israel.
Kalinga Cup is an Indian association football tournament held in Odisha and organised by Football Association of Odisha and Department of Sports and Youth of Government of Odisha annually. The tournament was first started in 1962 by former chief minister Biju Patnaik.
