Playing with History

IT WAS THE DAY of the India versus Pakistan clash in Dubai. Perhaps the biggest day in the Indian sports calendar, and yet there were 60,000 people at the Salt Lake stadium to support Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) in their quest to win the ISL League Shield. The build-up started way before one could enter the stadium. Right from the start of the EM Bypass, almost 3km from the stadium, you could see vans full of Mohun Bagan fans in all shapes and sizes draped in green and maroon on their way to the ground. Songs blared from loudspeakers and local clubs had already started to celebrate. Football in the city was well and truly alive and there was indeed a ray of hope and optimism for Indian football.

The match, as it often happens with high-profile games, did not reach any great level. Till the 92nd minute, the deadlock hadn’t been broken and Mohun Bagan had missed a slew of chances trying out the patience of the fans. With the clock ticking, one could sense the tension mount. Another 7 minutes and the entire crowd would have to go home heartbroken. That’s when it happened. A moment of individual brilliance from Dimi Petratos, a quick turn and that famed left foot had swung into action. Two bounces and the ball was in the Odisha net giving Amrinder no chance. It seemed that a volcano had erupted. Coach Molina had rushed inside the pitch and an otherwise calm and composed man had lost control of his senses. Rather, he had left his guard down, and why not? Petratos had jumped the sideboards and had rushed to the fans, who had all found voice.

In all honesty, the next few minutes seemed to echo everything that is good about sport. Here was a club that had done everything to get to where it was, the legion of fans had stayed with the players all season and it was now their turn to celebrate. The players had repaid the faith reposed in them and the synergy between the management and the players was for all to see. As team owner Sanjiv Goenka said, “It is indeed a big moment. The first-ever club to defend the league shield, it is indeed a big moment for us all. Having said that, we know the job isn’t complete. The trophy is still to be won and while we celebrate today and tomorrow, we will soon shift our attention to the knockouts. We want to keep winning and keep giving joy to our fans.”

With professional management at the helm, Mohun Bagan players are a happy bunch. In case of a 10-day break, the club allows its players to travel back home and is always conscious about giving the players their space. Unlike many other clubs in ISL, this is one institution where there is no heartburn over money or incentives. And the results are showing.

“If the other clubs had an owner like Sanjiv Goenka who is ready to put in the money needed to make a quality football team, they too could have had success. A top-notch sports team can never be built without vision and money and that’s what is setting Mohun Bagan apart,” said Mehtab Hossain, former India captain.

Jamie Maclaren, one of the stars of the League Shield win, helped put things in perspective. “If you know that the management cares for you, it always helps. Mr Goenka was in the stands for a good number of our games and that’s when you know that he cares. It inspires us all to give our very best,” said the Australian football legend. Maclaren, who has played for some leading clubs, has no hesitation in saying that Mohun Bagan is the best-run club side he has represented. “Not often do you get the chance of playing in front of 60,000 fans. Mohun Bagan will certainly rank at the very top of the clubs that I have played for.”

Subhasish Bose, skipper and inspirational leader, summed things up nicely. “We are all determined to do the job for the team. We know that the management has done everything that was asked of them. Now, it is our turn to vindicate the faith shown in us. We hate to lose and want to continue to keep winning,” he said.

Can Mohun Bagan, with all the momentum they have, now take the quantum leap and transform Indian football forever? Can they replicate the success earned at the national level at the Asian level as well? Is it realistic to dream that in the next few years, the club will challenge Asia’s leading clubs and in doing so, carry Indian football forward?

Sanjiv Goenka has already articulated his vision on this issue. “We have now proved ourselves in Indian football. But the journey can’t stop here with the ISL. We need to make it count at the Asian level and that’s where my focus will be,” he said.

The best part about Mohun Bagan is that they have a core of very strong Indian players who will all stand strong at the AFC level. The standard there is a few notches higher than ISL, and MBSG need to get a couple of foreigners of pedigree to be able to compete. A reasonably good AFC campaign and the impact could spread far and wide. Other clubs will also start to dream and the sport overall will benefit.

For the moment, though, it is all about celebrating the occasion for the fans in Kolkata. The players are not too far behind either. “It was an incredible moment for me. To see the ball enter the goal was the happiest sight I have seen in recent times. It was good enough to give us the league shield and for us players, everyone on the bench or support staff helped make a difference,” said goal scorer Dimi Petratos. For him, an average season was all but redeemed with that strike and the relief on his face was evident.

It was almost an hour-and-a-half after the game had ended that the players started walking out to get into the team bus. They had celebrated for that while and now it was time to call it a day. To everyone’s amazement, there were at least a couple of thousand fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their heroes and that’s what brings me to the final point. In Indian football, Mohun Bagan is now the benchmark. They have set the bar high and are competing with themselves. Perhaps it is time for them to look higher. Beyond India and into Asia. That will be one goal all of India will remember forever. For it could transform the sport for all times to come.

Indian Super LeagueKolkataMohun Bagan Super Giant TeamRPSG GroupSanjiv Goenka