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| The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati being prepared for the ISL game on Monday. Picture by UB Photos |
Guwahati, Oct. 12: We may be eight, but we are “United”.
The soulful Papon-composed and sung anthem
of North East United FC, the Guwahati franchise of the high-profile
Indian Super League, reiterates this and strikes an instant chord.
For a region that once religiously
followed the beautiful game, the premier football league of India is
perhaps just what the doctor ordered for football to regain its days of
glory.
Ahead of the much-awaited tie between
Guwahati franchise North East United FC and Kochi franchise Kerala
Blasters at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here tomorrow, the mood here
is one filled with expectations.
More importantly, with a football
franchise the region can call its own, relate to and rally behind, there
is a connect factor in the making.
North East United has 14 foreign recruits and as many from the country, with at least 10 from the Northeast.
The region has traditionally been inclined towards football, even club matches drawing a healthy turnout.
Most leading outstation teams were regular
in tournaments such as the Bordoloi Trophy, ATPA Shield, Independence
Day Cup and Dugar Shield held across Assam.
Former India captain T. Ao was also from undivided Assam.
Not everything looked hunky dory for the
Guwahati franchise till the other day, with a co-owner pulling out for
non-inclusion of the venue city in the franchise’s name, apart from
other commercial matters. There was some uncertainty among the people
here about the league after co-owner John Abraham failed to come out
with a clear strategy on its grassroots development programme, a promise
he had made while launching the club four months ago. For now, though,
the national promos and the hype building up to the event has
overshadowed the negativity and the lack of conviction among the fans
here, at least for time being.
It was evident from the near-full house
ticket sales with serpentine queues noticed at the 35,000-capacity
stadium that was built for the 2007 National Games.
Assam Football Association secretary Ankur Dutta said the response was encouraging and augurs well for football here.
The ticket rates have been kept
reasonable, from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000, inspiring a good chunk of
youngsters to head to the counters.
“I am happy that the rates don’t burn a
hole in my pocket. So rest assured, we will all be there tomorrow,
cheering for NEUFC,” said Hrishikesh Kalita, a management professional.
A collaborative effort between
IMG-Reliance and All India Football Federation, the inaugural edition of
the Indian Super League, involves eight franchises locking horns home
and away over a 70-day period.
“The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium is now
a world-class stadium with state-of-the-art infrastructure created for
the league. The officials who had visited the venue have even said the
stadium was probably the best in the country. This not only helped the
city to host the matches but boosts Guwahati’s chance of playing host to
the under-17 World Cup in 2017,” Assam sports minister Ajit Singh told
The Telegraph.
The ISL, if properly, run could see a lot
of gainful opportunities opening up for promising footballers and
businesses alike for Guwahati and the region which is mostly in the news
for militancy, strikes and general strikes.
The I-league drew attention towards
Shillong Lajong and Shillong, the ISL should do the same for the region
provided it is well organised and promoted, many here believe.
It might give a fillip to a region
considered to have tremendous potential for tourism in particular and
the hospitality industry in general. It is reflected in the sentiments
of players, administrators and fans of the beautiful game.
“ISL offers an important platform for
young football players of India, especially the Northeast, to showcase
their skill and talent and make Indian football popular. Allen Deuri and
Durga Boro have become household names and people are looking forward
to watching them score for Northeast United,” said Gaurav Gogoi,
Kaliabor MP and son of chief minister Tarun Gogoi.
Gaurav is said to be associated with
Guwahati franchise and had even visited the ground in the run-up to
D-day but denied any association with the team to The Telegraph.
North East United and the Kerala Blasters are being put up at the Radisson Blu here, the first five-star hotel in the Northeast.
“This being the first major event for us,
we are giving our best,” Vikas Ray, the general manager of Radisson Blu,
told The Telegraph today.
Ray said the entire available inventory of the hotel has been dedicated to the event.
“The stadium catering for the hospitality area is being done by us,” he said.
Among the important guests coming tomorrow
are Sachin Tendulkar and Nita Ambani (founding chairperson of Football
Sports Development, Reliance Group) besides co-owners of the other
franchises.
After missing the IPL bus back in 2008
because of infrastructure bottlenecks, Guwahati seems to be back on
track to be on the country’s sports map. Let’s football!