Super Soccer was an outstanding initiative taken by Tata group in promoting football in India.
Jamshedpur: Super Soccer was a rage in the 80’s and 90’s. It was first introduced in 1984, which quickly gained popularity among Indians. Some of the top clubs around the world were invited to play matches every season.
In the first season, Sao Paulo Club (under 23 team) from Brazil was invited to play three matches in Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata) and Delhi, respectively. In Bombay, the match was played between Tata Invitation XI and Sao Paulo on February 2, 1984. In Calcutta, the match was played between Bengal XI and Sao Paulo on February 5, 1984, and in Delhi was played between India XI and Sao Paulo on February 11,1984. The Sao Paulo Club won the match in Bombay by 3-0, in Calcutta by 1-0 while the match in Delhi was a draw by 1-1.
The next season was organised in 1986. A West German Club, VFL Bochum XI, played four matches in New Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta and Jamshedpur.
In 1989, Sao Paulo senior team was invited to play in Super Soccer. They played four matches in Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta and Jamshedpur. The guest team won three matches, but the match held in Bangalore was a draw by 2-2.
The fourth season was held in January 1991, the guest team was PSV Eindhoven from Holland. Three matches were organised in which the guest team won all the matches.
In 1994, SKF Lin from Norway was invited to play in Super Soccer. Three matches were organised in Jamshedpur, Calcutta and Goa. The Jamshedpur and Calcutta matches ended in a draw while the match in Goa was won by the guest team.
The last season of Super Soccer was hosted in 2007. Sao Paulo of Brazil was invited to play against Mohammedan Sporting (Kolkata). Five matches were organised in Siliguri, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Cochin and Delhi, respectively.
Super Soccer is credited with strengthening the football culture in India and Tata Group has the distinction of having done a lot for promoting soccer in the country.
