JOIN USUp in the hills of Mizoram, the celebrations are far from over. It has been four days since Aizawl FC, carrying the aspirations of the entire North-East, became the champion football club of India. The waves of elation will take some time to die down, understandably so. A region that adores the Beautiful Game, didn’t have a representative strong enough to make an impact on the national scene till now. In a fairytale run that captivated the entire country, unfancied Aizawl changed all that, knocking over the big teams and laying their hands on the I-League crown.
Footballers of immense skill have arrived in torrents from the North-East over the years. Talimeren Ao, the first captain of independent India and the flag-bearer of the country’s contingent at the 1948 London Olympics, hailed from Nagaland. His name might not ring a bell for the current generation but for old-timers, a man called Bhaichung Bhutia, hailing from Sikkim, became the darling of fans with his riveting displays. From Ao to Bhutia and beyond, generations of footballers had to journey to clubs afar to showcase their talent. In the brighter days of the I-League, no club worth its name could prosper without a footballer from the North-East, mainly from Manipur. Mizoram has taken over that prime position now and Aizawl’s rise signifies that shift.
Functioning on a limited budget of a little over Rs 2 crore, Aizawl put together a team that fused the energy and enterprise of the land with modern methods of play in a tellingly effective fashion. Relegated from the top division last season and allowed to play on only because of a pull-out by a couple of clubs, Aizawl had a point to prove. and under coach Khalid Jamil, they did it in an amazing fashion. Even as they rejoice in their success, Aizawl stare at uncertain times thanks to the inept ways of the game’s governing body, the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The federation’s plan to form a new competition by merging its money-spinning Indian Super League and the I-League is set to hit Aizawl hard, with the club finding no place in the new entity. In what can only be termed a travesty, the champions of India will have to ply their trade in the second division. Already, cries of unfair play are beginning to echo around the region. On the monotonous canvas of Indian football, the Aizawl story has brought a welcome dash of colour and a touch of romance direly needed. If the AIFF ignores the emerging picture, it would amount to abdicating its primary responsibility for the sake of big money the franchises and the established clubs bring.