| Kalyani Black Label Federation Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | India |
| Dates | 23 August–12 September 1998 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Mohun Bagan(10th title) |
| Runners-up | East Bengal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.25 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Cyril Barreto (4 goals) |
| Awards | |
| Best player | Amit Das (Mohun Bagan) |
The1998 Indian Federation Cup (also known as1998 Kalyani Black Label Federation Cup) due to sponsorship reasons, was the 21st season of theIndian Federation Cup. It was held between 23 August and 12 September 1998.Salgaocar were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the first round byState Bank of Travancore.Mohun Bagan won the tournament for the tenth time, following a 2–1 overEast Bengal in the final played at theSalt Lake Stadium,Kolkata, a replay of theprevious edition's semifinal when the latter won.[1] Amit Das and Hemanta Dora of Mohun Bagan were named the Player and Goalkeeper of the Tournament.[2]
For the 1998 edition, theAll India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to increase the number of entries to justify the tournament as that "for champion clubs" on the back of two decades of "[failure] to achieve its propagated aims and objectives."[3] Accordingly, on 16 July 1998, the President of AIFF,Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, announced that the edition would have 48 teams competing. Eight teams would be seeded directly into the round of 16 and eight other teams would qualify from five zones: North, East, North-East, West and South. He added that the qualifying rounds would be played on a knock-out basis, and that top two teams from South Zone and the winners of the four other zones would qualify for the tournament proper, while the other two would come from a play-off among runners-up of the four zones.[4]Salgaocar,East Bengal,Mohun Bagan,Mohammedan,Border Security Force,Indian Telephone Industries,Dempo andChurchill Brothers were announced as the eight seeded teams. A report carried bySportstar said that the teams were seeded based on their quarter-final entry in theprevious edition.[5]
The qualification round saw 37 teams vying from five zones for the eight spots. A then newly formed club,Bengal Mumbai, was not allowed to enter the competition from the West Zone as, according to the AIFF, "the team would have to come through the state league and prove themselves."[4][2]
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on |
|---|---|---|
| Border Security Force | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| Churchill Brothers | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| Dempo | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| East Bengal | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| Indian Telephone Industries | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| JCT Mills | North Zone winner | 10 August |
| Jorba Durga | East Zone winner | 22 July |
| Kochin | South Zone winner | 2 August |
| Langsning | North-East Zone winner | 1 August |
| Mohammedan | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| Mohun Bagan | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| Punjab State Electricity Board | Play-off winner | 23 August |
| Salgaocar | 1997 quarter-final | 16 July |
| State Bank of Travancore | South Zone runner-up | 2 August |
| Tollygunge Agragami | Play-off winner | 20 August |
| Vasco | West Zone winner | 8 August |
In case of a tie at regular time,extra time withgolden goal was used. In case scores remain tied even after extra time,penalty shoot-out was used.
| Border Security Force | 1–0 | Tollygunge Agragami |
|---|---|---|
Gauranga Pal 71' | Report |
| Indian Telephone Industries | 0–1 | Punjab State Electricity Board |
|---|---|---|
| Gurdish Singh 26' |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | JCT Mills |
|---|---|---|
Owino 116' | Report |
| Churchill Brothers | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Border Security Force |
|---|---|---|
| Mensah 32', 111' (pen.) | Report | Singh 84' |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Punjab State Electricity Board |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
Moses Ohira Joy Kabui Amitava Ghosh Subir Ghosh Arjan Ali  | 4–3 | Sandeep Saini Jujhar Singh Harjap Singh Dalip Kumar Sukhbir Singh |
| Mohun Bagan | 1–0 | State Bank of Travancore |
|---|---|---|
| Omollo 82' | Report |
| Churchill Brothers | 1–1 | Mohammedan Sporting |
|---|---|---|
| Elvis Fernandes 90' | Report |
| Mohun Bagan | 2–1 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| Amit Das 10' Vijayan 20' | Report | Chapman 85' |
United Breweries Group sponsored the tournament and announced a prize money of₹2 million for the winning team. The team that came second, third and fourth were given₹1.5 million,₹1 million and₹500,000 respectively. All the other teams that participated in the tournament proper received₹100,000 each.[4]