It was a politically provocative gesture of fusing together football fanaticism and identity politics when the fans of the East Bengal FC unfurled a banner in support of the Mamata Banerjee led Bengali rights movement at a high profile football match in Kolkata on August 7, 2025. On the Salt Lake Stadium, with the roars and colorful tifos, the fans of the Red & Gold club revealed the slogans that are close to the Chief Minister Banerjee in his demands of linguistic dignity and preservation of a Bengali identity.
What actually happened?
It was a large banner hoisted in giant Bengali letters that fitted perfectly with the current protests by Mamata Banerjee in streets of the metros over the alleged harassment of the Bengali speaking migrants in BJP ran states. The switch spoke to fan communities used to inserting activist messaging into the culture of football sporting, and it is staying power that East Bengal Ultras made when it unveiled its legendary anti NRC tifo: chanting, with blood, not with the documents, we bought the land.
East Bengal ultras and ultra groups such as East Bengal the Real Power have a huge following who are extremely attached to the Bengali nationalism and the roots of the club located in the migrant community. They have gone to fanboy and or girl extreme by supporting Mamata and her Bengali rights through a public demonstration, shining the stadium lights on identity and protesting in general.
What do the critics say?
According to critics, it is a calculated decision to use the Bengali patriotism as a decoration on the jerseys and the stadium banners and make every football game a political street event. With the West Bengal elections coming up in 2026, it all counts with every slogan, every tifo, and every appearance of solidarity in public. Well, they just provided it, loud and clear fans, not to mention the chants and choreography.
This is viewed by the observers as a strategic integration of grass root politics and football fandom. In the case of Mamata Banerjee, it is a case of cultural signified: the affiliation with the club admirers is an appeal to emotional neighborhood Bengali pride. On the part of the club, they are technically apolitical, but this has the potential to give the club a closer attachment to the central fan base of East Bengal (the Bangals) and their past plaint.
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