Looking back at when Dempo SC dominated Indian Football

Dempo SC are considered one of the best and successful clubs in Indian football till date.

If we mention Dempo SC, one is more likely to reminisce about the days of yore. It is not a living, breathing club of the likes of Mohun Bagan Super Giant or Mumbai City FC. But dial the clock back to the 1960s, and the Whites were a name to be revered.

That is until 2015 when they lost the final game to relegation-threatened neighbours Salgaocar FC 0-2 and got relegated to the I-League 2nd Division. But by then, it had already become the third tier of professional football in India and marked a fall from grace for the mammoths. Does anyone know what happened exactly?

Today we’ll be looking back at when Dempo SC dominated Indian football.

Inception

Dempo Sports Club began as Bicholim Football Club. Players including Subhash Sinari, Bernard Olivera, Tolentino Serrao, Bhaskar, Kalidas Gaad, Manohar Pednekar, Bhai Pednekar, Ganpat Gaonkar, and Pandurang Gaonkar were part of the founding golden generation. These stalwarts are still reminisced on a much greater level compared to the players of other sports clubs existing at that moment. Later adopted by Dempo Souza in 1967, the club was renamed as Dempo Souza Sports Club.

The Dempo Souza Sports Club was rechristened Dempo Sports Club after Dempo bought Mr Michael D'Souza's stake in the Dempo Souza enterprise. However, they actually prospered only when Vasantrao Dempo, the chairman of the House of Dempo, extended his benefaction to the football team extensively. The Whites accordingly came at par with the other business houses, like Salgaocar, Agencia Comercial Maritima, Shantilal, and Sesa Goa who had their own teams.

Golden Age

The Golden Eagles’ first accolade was the Goan Senior League title in 1972. They followed that up with their first-ever pan-India trophy i.e. the Rovers Cup in 1975. British manager Bob Bootland’s revamp of Dempo in 1978 changed the way India looked at its football.

He introduced a revolutionary 4–3–3 style of play, helping them win the Rovers Cup in the same year. They also defended their title in 1979, effectively making it their first double - their first double. Dempo had also managed to clinch the Stafford Challenge Cup titles in 1975 and 1979.

The Whites’ actual Golden Age commenced shortly afterward as they won a host of small cups as well as the Rovers Cup again in 1986 by beating the legendary Mohun Bagan side. The club also won the Goan League editions of 1986 and 1987. Defeating Maldives side New Radiant SC, the club then won their first international tournament named POMIS Cup in Malé. Dempo followed it up by repeating their scintillating Rovers Cup victory over Mohun Bagan.

The founding members (among 12 teams) of the 1996 National Football League got relegated in 1999–2000. However, they bounced back by getting promoted the very next season and winning their first NFL championship in 2004. Memorably, Dempo also won the last NFL Season in 2006-07 before it was rebranded to I-League. The Goan champions showed no signs of stopping, as they clinched the Durand Cup title, beating JCT FC by 2–0 in the 2006 final. What’s more, they even won the maiden I-League season in 2007–08.

As a result of this title win, they were promoted to play in the AFC competition in 2008 during the 2008 AFC Cup. They actually were the ones closest to victory before Bengaluru FC in 2016 as they ended their maiden campaign as semi-finalists. Dempo’s league dominance continued as they won the league again in 2009-10 and 2011-12. 

After the 2012–13 season, when Dempo finished in fifth place, they parted ways with their most decorated coach Armando Colaco, with whom they had won five League titles and several other accolades. The club was hit by numerous injuries afterwards, which ruined their 2015-16 season and led them to relegation. Following their 2016–17 withdrawal from the I-League, Dempo participated in later editions of the I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of Indian football league system.

Notable players 

Carlos Hernandez and Densill Theobald were two of Dempo’s most notable marquee players as both were 2006 FIFA World Cup participants. Costa Rican jewel Hernandez was his native league’s highest assist-provider from 2004-2006 and an integral part of the World Cup squad. None of them, however, could triumph fan-favorite and club's top goal-scorer Ranti Martins.

The Nigerian fox-in-the-box is I-League’s highest-ever scorer with a massive 214 strikes to his name. Fiercely acrobatic and a score-by-any-means striker, he was feared even by his teammate Arnab Mondal (at East Bengal) who praised his athletic prowess.

After missing out on the Golden Boot in his first title-winning season with the club, he acquired it twice on the way to the trophy in his third season. Mondal also spoke highly of his predatory movement and how he found ways to score with the slightest time and space, despite being a shade under six feet tall.

Ranti was all about instincts and has only been eclipsed somewhat by the likes of Ferran Corominas and Bartholomew Ogbeche lately. Another notable mention is the current captain and India’s highest scorer, Sunil Chhetri. The Indian phenomenon made 12 appearances for the Golden Eagles, scoring eight goals, before moving abroad to play for Kansas City.

Cristiano Junior is also another fan-favourite but the promising forward’s memory will perhaps be etched as a disheartening blemish in the fans’ memory. The Brazilian had scored five goals for the club as they won the Federation Cup and the League but they did not celebrate in memory of their prized striker. 

Current Indian national team assistant coach Mahesh Gawli was also another former player for the Goan outfit. One name that only Dempo SC fans remember is that of Beto. One of the best creative midfielders to have come to India in the history of the sport, Beto's time coincided with Ranty Martins and the duo set the stage of fire. Several other names such as Clifford Miranda and Joaquim Abranches also played their roles in the side's brilliant ride since the turn of the century.