2003–04 National Football League (India)

National Football League
Season2003–04
Dates28 November 2003 – 14 May 2004
ChampionsEast Bengal
3rd NFL title
3rd Indian title
Relegated
AFC Cup
Top goalscorerCristiano Júnior (15 goals)[1]
Biggest home win
Biggest away winMohammedan Sporting 1–5 Mahindra United
(17 March 2004)[4]

The 2003–04 National Football League was the eighth season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.

Overview

The fixtures for the first phase of the season (till round 11) were announced on 20 November 2003.[5] It was contested by 12 teams, and East Bengal won the championship, in the month of April under the coach Subhas Bhowmick. Dempo came second and Mahindra came third. Indian Bank and Mohammedan were relegated from the National Football League next season.

League standings

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Locations of teams in the 2003–04 National Football League
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 East Bengal 22 15 4 3 37 13 +24 49
2 Dempo 22 12 9 1 28 12 +16 45
3 Mahindra United 22 12 5 5 34 21 +13 41
4 Churchill Brothers 22 10 6 6 29 24 +5 36
5 JCT Mills 22 8 9 5 23 21 +2 33
6 Vasco 22 6 10 6 22 19 +3 28
7 Salgaocar 22 7 6 9 24 23 +1 27
8 Sporting Goa 22 7 6 9 34 35 −1 27
9 Mohun Bagan 22 6 6 10 22 23 −1 24
10 Tollygunge Agragami 22 4 8 10 16 24 −8 20
11 Mohammedan Sporting 22 4 7 11 20 39 −19 19
12 Indian Bank 22 2 2 18 15 50 −35 8
Source: rsssf.com

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals[6]
1 Brazil Cristiano Júnior East Bengal 15
2 Ghana Yusif Yakubu Churchill Brothers 14
3 Nigeria Dudu Omagbemi Mohammedan Sporting 13
4 India Bhaichung Bhutia East Bengal 12
5 Nigeria Abdul Seriki Mohammedan Sporting 11
6 Liberia Sunday Seah Dempo 9
7 India Abhishek Yadav Mahindra United 7
India Harvinder Singh JCT Mills

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date Ref.
Ashim Biswas Mohun Bagan Indian Bank 3–0 (H) 15 December 2003 [7]
Yusif Yakubu Churchill Brothers Indian Bank 4–1 (H) 5 March 2004 [8]
Felix Aboagye Mahindra United Mohammedan Sporting 5–1 (A) 17 March 2004 [4]
Dudu Omagbemi Sporting Clube Indian Bank 4–1 (H) 5 April 2004 [9]
Marcos Pereira Vasco Mohun Bagan 5–1 (H) 16 April 2004 [3]
Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away

References

  1. ^ "From the History Book". All India Football Federation. the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ^ "East Bengal downs Sporting". The Hindu. 17 January 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b "Vasco trounces Mohun Bagan". The Hindu. 17 April 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b "Felix stars in Mahindra's big win". The Hindu. 18 March 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ "National Football League fixtures". Rediff.com. 20 November 2003. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Leading Goal Scorers". Rediff.com. 14 May 2004. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Biswas 'tricks' for Bagan". Rediff.com. 15 December 2003. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Yakubu nets three in Churchill's big win". Rediff.com. 5 March 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Haywards Sporting downs Indian Bank". The Hindu. 6 April 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.[dead link‍]