.svg) | |||
| Full name | ATK Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | ATK | ||
| Short name | ATKFC | ||
| Founded | 7 May 2014; 11 years ago (2014-05-07)(asAtlético de Kolkata) June 2017; 8 years ago (2017-06)(asATK after ending partnership withAtlético Madrid) | ||
| Dissolved | 1 June 2020; 5 years ago (2020-06-01) (disbanded forMohun Bagan SG) | ||
| Ground | Salt Lake Stadium Bidhannagar,West Bengal | ||
| Capacity | 85,000 | ||
| Owner(s) | Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd.[1] | ||
ATK (also known asAtlético de Kolkata in association withAtlético Madrid) was an Indian professionalfootball club based inKolkata,West Bengal. The club competed in theISL, the top flight ofIndian football. They were the cup winners during theinaugural 2014 season,2016 and2019–20 seasons respectively.
The club was owned by Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd. which consists of formerIndian cricket captainSourav Ganguly, alongside businessmenHarshavardhan Neotia,Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh. Initially, for the first three seasons,La Liga club Atlético Madrid was also a co-owner; later Goenka bought the shares. After the end of their partnership with the Spanish giant, Atlético de Kolkata has been rechristened to ATK in July 2017.[2] The team's name and colours are derived from their former Spanish partner.
Under coachAntonio López Habas, Atlético hosted and won the first match of the ISL. They won theinaugural season, beatingKerala Blasters 0–1 inthe final. Two years later, underJosé Francisco Molina, the team won on penalties against the same opponent inthe final. ATK won 3 ISL Cup trophies, last by defeatingChennaiyin FC in the2020 final.
On 16 January 2020, it was announced that the RPSG Group (KGSPL), along with formercricketerSourav Ganguly and businessmen Utsav Parekh, acquired an 80% stake in Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Pvt. Ltd. the legal entity owning the football division ofI-League club,Mohun Bagan. ATK Football Club was officially disbanded on 1 July 2020 andMohun Bagan entered theIndian Super League in the2020–21 season with nameATK Mohun Bagan. In 2023, after severe protests from the Mohun Bagan supporters, KGSPL removed ATK and changed the name of the legal entity toMohun Bagan Super Giant.
In March 2014, it was announced that theAll India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, andIMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming ISL, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of theIndian Premier League cricket tournament.[3] On 13 April 2014, it was announced thatSourav Ganguly,Harshavardhan Neotia,Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh, and SpanishLa Liga sideAtlético Madrid had won the bid for the Kolkata franchise.[4] It turned out to be the most expensive franchise, being purchased for 180 million (around US$3 million).[4] On 7 May 2014, the team was officially launched as Atlético de Kolkata.[5]
The club signed their first player on 4 July 2014 with the acquisition of formerReal Madrid midfielderBorja Fernández.[6] The team then went on to sign two more Spaniards: their first head coach,Antonio López Habas, andmarquee player, formerUEFA Champions League winnerLuis García, on 8 July 2014.[7]Luis García was named the first marquee player of the season.
The first Indian signing by the club took place in round one of the2014 ISL Inaugural Domestic Draft in which Atlético de Kolkata selectedCavin Lobo, midfielder for the city'sI-League teamEast Bengal FC, with their pick. They were the biggest spenders in the draft with an expenditure of 39.1 million, their biggest signing beingSanju Pradhan for 7 million.[8] In theInternational Draft, four of Atlético de Kolkata's allotted seven picks were Spaniards, including defenderJosemi, aUEFA Champions League winner withLiverpool in2005.[9] On 6 September, the team bolstered their midfield with the acquisition ofMamunul Islam,captain of theBangladesh national team, who stated that the move would help relations betweenEast Bengal (Bangladesh) andWest Bengal.[10]
The club played their first match on 12 October 2014 at home againstMumbai City FC in the opening ISL match.[11]Fikru Teferra scored the first goal in team and league history in the 27th minute as Atlético de Kolkata went on to win 3–0.[11]
By finishing third in the league, the club qualified for theend-of-season play-offs, where they advanced via apenalty shootout pastFC Goa in the semi-finals after a goalless draw.[12] Atthe final against theKerala Blasters at theDY Patil Stadium inMumbai, Atlético won 1–0 with an added-time goal byMohammed Rafique.[13] At the end of season awards, García was named the Most Exciting Player.[14]
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On 5 June 2015, the team acquired Canadian international forwardIain Hume, whose five goals had helped Kerala to the final of the previous season.[15] In the second season'sdomestic draft, Atlético de Kolkata had the first pick, choosingPune FCgoalkeeperAmrinder Singh for a fee of 450,000; their most expensive purchase was that of defenderAugustin Fernandes for 2.6 million.[16] On 29 July, with García released due to his injury record, the team brought inPortugal international forwardHélder Postiga as their new marquee player; aged 32, he became the youngest such player in the league.[17] García's role as captain was taken on by his compatriot Borja.[18]
Postiga scored twice in Atlético's first game of the season, a 3–2 win atChennaiyin FC, but was substituted later in the match due to injury, and missed the rest of the campaign.[19]Pelé, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, watched the 2–1 win over Kerala at theSalt Lake Stadium on 13 October, Atlético's first home game of the season.[20] Hume scored twohat-tricks in November, in 4–1 wins against Mumbai City,[21] andFC Pune City.[22] The latter result made the team the first to qualify for theplay-offs,[23] where they lost 4–2 on aggregate to Chennaiyin.[24]
In March 2016, it was reported that López Habas would leave the club due to concerns over his ₹23.5 million ($350,000) annual salary.[25] On 25 April, he left for Pune.[26] On 3 May, he was replaced by another Spaniard, formerVillarreal managerJosé Francisco Molina.[27] Postiga returned to be the marquee again, but suffered another long-term injury early into the second game of the season. The club's ownership admitted that they had wanted a different marquee due to his record, but had been unable to sign one.[28]
Atlético de Kolkata finished in fourth place, taking the final position inthe finals, and were drawn against first-place Mumbai in the semi-finals.[29] They hosted a 3–2 win in the first leg, with all goals in the first half, including two by Hume, and advanced with a goalless draw in the second leg.[30] In the final, away to Kerala on 18 December, Kolkata fell behind to a goal by their former playerMohammed Rafi, and equalised before half-time with a header by defenderHenrique Sereno. The game went to penalties, with Hume having Atlético's first attempt saved byGraham Stack, butElhadji Ndoye missed for Kerala andDebjit Majumder saved fromCédric Hengbart to win Kolkata the title.[31]
After the separation from Spanish clubAtlético Madrid, most of the squad was not retained for the new season. On 14 July 2017, ATK appointed former England international strikerTeddy Sheringham as their head coach for the upcoming season. While formerBengaluru FC head coachAshley Westwood was appointed as the technical director for the club.[32] On 4 August, the team acquired former Irish international forwardRobbie Keane as their new marquee player.[33]
On 24 January 2018, Sheringham was sacked by ATK after winning only three of his ten games in charge and appointedAshley Westwood as their interim coach.[34] For the first time in four years the club could not make it to the playoffs, but avoided last place by registering a 1–0 win overNorthEast United FC in the final game,Robbie Keane netting the deciding goal.[35]
Robbie Keane was named the player-manager for the upcoming cup fixtures and they started theirSuper Cup campaign with a 4–1 win over I-League clubChennai City FC, but failed to make it to the quarter-finals after a 3–1 defeat againstFC Goa.[36]
After a forgettable season, ATK appointedSanjoy Sen as their mentor to recruit national players. The formerMohun Bagan AC head coach roped in some of his own former players who he had the experience of working with, along with former ATK playersArnab Mondal andCavin Lobo.[37] They mainly focused on more local players and it served as the main foundation for building the squad for the season. FormerManchester United strikerSteve Coppell was named as the head coach for the season.[38] Coppell had the experience of managing ISL clubs before such asKerala Blasters FC andJamshedpur FC. Under him the team finished 6th in the league, winning 6 games.[39]
In theSuper Cup the team reached the semi-finals. They defeatedReal Kashmir 3–1 on their way to finish 4th.[40]
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ATK became the first club to win the ISL Cup thrice after they defeatedChennaiyin FC 3–1 in the final of the2019–20 Indian Super League.
ATK was officially disbanded after 2019-20 season.
On 7 July, the team's jersey and logo were unveiled by West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee at theNabanna building, temporary headquarters of the state's secretariat.[41] The logo featured a hybridBengal tiger–phoenix, with the latter element being symbolic of perpetuity, due to the footballing heritage in Kolkata.[42] Five stars above the crest symbolise the five owners of the club.[42] The shield is striped with tigers' stripes.[42]
The 85,000 capacitySalt Lake Stadium was the home ground of Atlético de Kolkata. The multi-purpose stadium, located inSalt Lake City (Bidhan Nagar), in the outskirts of Kolkata, is the largest stadium in the country. The Salt Lake Stadium is owned by the West Bengal State Government. Salt Lake Stadium, officially known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is the largest stadium in India by seating capacity. Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second-largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000. Prior to the construction and opening of Rungrado May Day Stadium in 1989, it was the largest football stadium in the world. The stadium hosted the final match of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, alongside hosting other matches of the tournament.
Atlético de Kolkata played their first two seasons atSalt Lake Stadium, but in the2016 season, they had to move toRabindra Sarobar Stadium due to the unavailability of Salt Lake Stadium, which was shortlisted as one of the venues for the2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. During the first season, Atlético de Kolkata has achieved an average home attendance of 45,172 per match and the most attended game of the season with 65,000 people.[43]
During the second season, 405,659 people attended the home matches of Kolkata (most by any club in that season) with an average of 50,707 per match, and they held the most attended game of the season for the second year in a row with 68,340 people.[44] During the third season, an average of 11,703 people per match attended the home matches of Kolkata.
The fourth season saw a formidable decline in the average attendance in the home matches of Kolkata due to the low capacity of Rabindra sarobar stadium. The lowest attendance count was 3,165 whereas the highest was 32,816. In their nine home games, ATK managed to pull an average attendance of just 12,629.
| Year | GP | Cumulative | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 8 | 316,195 | 65,000 | 21,550 | 45,171 |
| 2015 | 8 | 405,659 | 68,340 | 35,437 | 50,707 |
| 2016 | 8 | 93,627 | 12,575 | 10,589 | 11,703 |
| 2017–18 | 9 | 113,661 | 32,816 | 3,165 | 12,629 |
| 2018–19 | 9 | 160,804 | 41,202 | 5,321 | 17,867 |
| 2019–20 | 10 | 258,469 | 50,102 | 8,690 | 25,847 |
ATK, and the ISL in general, were initially announced with a mixed reception among football fans in Kolkata. Some locals feared that it could overshadow the development of players at the city's two long-established I-League clubs, while others saw the new franchise as a way to unite both sets of I-League supporters, who would be drawn together further by the involvement of Ganguly, who is idolised across the state.[45]
Ahead of the second season, the franchise accredited the ATK Fans Fraternity (ATKFF), whose ₹800 membership includes a home season ticket and an official jersey. The fraternity offered 4,000 memberships in an exclusive part of the stadium.Firstpost journalist Pulasta Dhar described it as a "brilliant" deal that could be replicated in order to help all ISL clubs fill their stadia.[46]
The Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd is a consortium established to oversee the administration and operations of ATK of theIndian Super League. The consortium is made up of formerIndia cricket captainSourav Ganguly, businessmenHarshavardhan Neotia,Sanjiv Goenka, and Utsav Parekh.[1]
The club's initial sponsors were Indian telecommunications corporationAircel, while its partners were Kolkata-based underwear brandLux Cozi and insurance firm Apollo Munich.[47] In October 2015, Kolkata-basedBirla Tyres agreed a deal to be the principal sponsors for the club's second and third seasons.[48]
More:List of ATK managers
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Antonio López Habas[49] |
| Assistant Manager | Manuel Perez Cascallana[50] |
 Sanjoy Sen[51] | |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Ángel Pindado[52] |
| Physiotherapists | Luis Alfonso Martinez |
| Avinandan Chatterjee | |
| Noel Augustine | |
| Physical Trainer | Alvaro Ros Bernal |
| Team Doctor | Rafi Bhati |
| Masseur | Mohammed Kashif |
| Shaikh Siraj | |
| Video Analyst | Subham Sen |
| Player Recruitment Head | Sujay Sharma |
| Team Manager | Avishek Bhattacharjee |
| Kit Manager | Anirban Biswas |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Director (Technical Area) | Subrata Talukdar[53] |
| Director | Saharsh Parekh |
| Director | Subhrangshu Chakraborty |
| Director | Sunil Bhandari |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd.[54] |
| Chairman | Sanjiv Goenka[55] |
| CEO | Raghu Iyer[56] |
| CFO | Vinay Chopra |
| managing director | Sudip Ghosh |
| Head of Advisory committee | Anjan Chowdhury |
| Finance Controller | Somshuvra Ghosh |
| Operations Executive | Rhitam Chatterjee |
| Operations Coordinator | Shubham Ghosh |
| Head of Business Operations | Rohit Katyal |
| Infrastructure Operations Manager | Rahul Dutta |
| Liaison Officer | Saptarshi Chowdhury |
| Social Media Manager | Raunak Ghosal |
| Digital Content Executive | Sagnik Kundu |
| Academy Director | Joydeep Chakraborty |
| Grassroots Incharge | Ashish Sarkar |
| Fan Engagement Manager | Saptarshi Bakshi |
| Season | Indian Super League | ISL Playoffs | Domestic cup (various) | Asian club competitions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | ||||||
| 2014 | 3rd | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 13 | 19 | Winners | [a] | [b] | ||
| 2015 | 2nd | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 17 | 23 | Semi-finalists | ||||
| 2016 | 4th | 14 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 20 | Winners | ||||
| 2017–18 | 9th | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 16 | — | Super Cup | Round of 16 | ||
| 2018–19 | 6th | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 22 | 24 | — | Semifinalist | |||
| 2019–20 | 2nd | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 16 | 34 | Winners | Durand Cup | 2nd of 4 (Group Stage) | ||
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio López Habas | Spain | 8 July 2014[57] | 20 December 2015 | 33 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 45 | 34 | 039.39 |
| José Francisco Molina | Spain | 5 May 2016[58] | 18 December 2016 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 17 | 035.29 |
| Teddy Sheringham |  England | 14 July 2017[59] | 24 January 2018[60] | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 030.00 |
| Ashley Westwood (interim) | England | 24 January 2018[60] | 3 March 2018[61] | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 000.00 |
| Robbie Keane (player-manager) |  Ireland | 4 March 2018[62] | 31 May 2018[63] | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 066.67 |
| Steve Coppell | England | 18 June 2018[64] | 30 April 2019 | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 28 | 038.10 |
| Antonio López Habas | Spain | 3 May 2019[65] | 31 May 2020 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 19 | 057.14 |
Most goals
| Most appearances
|
ATK's honours include the following:[66]
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