The phrase “1961 IFA Shield final” refers to the championship match of the 1961 edition of the IFA Shield, a historic annual football (soccer) tournament organized by the Indian Football Association (IFA) in West Bengal, India. The IFA Shield, inaugurated in 1893, is one of the oldest football competitions in Asia and has traditionally featured clubs from across India as well as invited foreign teams.
While it is reasonable to infer that a final match was contested in 1961 to determine the tournament champion, reliable encyclopedic sources that provide detailed, verifiable information about the specific teams, scoreline, venue, date, and notable events of that final are not readily available in the public domain. Consequently, the term does not correspond to a widely documented or independently verifiable entry in established reference works.
Possible contextual interpretation
- The 1961 IFA Shield would have been part of the Indian football season for that year, likely held in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the traditional host city for the competition.
- Prominent clubs of the era, such as East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting, frequently reached the finals of the IFA Shield, so it is plausible that one or more of these teams participated in the 1961 final.
- The match would have determined the holder of the Shield for the 1961–1962 season, contributing to the historical records of Indian club football achievements.
Conclusion
Because verifiable, detailed encyclopedic information about the specific 1961 IFA Shield final is lacking, the term cannot be treated as an established concept with a comprehensive factual entry. Further research in archived newspapers, official IFA records, or specialized sports histories would be required to provide a complete and accurate description.