CHENNAI: As Aizawl FC coach Jahar Das spoke to the media after an upset win over Bengaluru FC in the Federation Cup, the tone in his voice was not one of relief. There was an unmistakable air of defiance. “This is a protest,” he said. “We want to prove through our display that the system is wrong.”
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Aizawl’s giant-killing act came hours after Leicester City finished scripting one of the greatest underdog stories ever and won the Premier League title. Perhaps it was fitting that it came hours before mighty Bayern Munich were dumped out of the Champions League by Diego Simeone and his band of merry men. This was the day of the little guy. And in Indian football, Aizawl, with their minuscule budget, their team of homegrown kids and their half-finished stadium, are as little as they come. The similarities between Leicester and Aizawl though ended on the day their respective seasons began. Both were up against it, pegged for relegation before they even kicked a ball. But while Leicester’s fairy tale started with their first game, a 4-2 win over Sunderland, Aizawl’s frustratingly anti-climatic season began with a loss to Bagan.
It is perhaps the way it ended that frustrated them even more. Aizawl did not finish last – that honour went to fellow newbies DSK Shivajians. But the Pune team’s immunity from relegation ensured that it was the Mizos that went down instead. They even finished level on points with Salgaocar. It is hard not to empathise with the anguish in Das’ voice. Four months spent brawling with the big beasts of the forest, and they go down because they scored 2 goals less!
“Our budget for the season was between `50-80 lakhs,” Aizawl’s technical director Hmingthana Zadeng told Express. That statement alone should make one question what sort of a future, a club like Aizawl could have in a scene where money is everything. `50-80 lakhs is less than what an ISL franchise spends on a match. “We have our limitations. When the season began, we struggled to attract sponsors,” said Hmingthana. “If you’ve noticed, all our sponsors are from Aizawl. But this Federation Cup run has been a morale booster for us. We’ve shown that on our day, we can hang with anyone. We’ve shown that we belong.” In a way, a last stand against everything out to destroy them.
Little more than a week later, Sporting Clube will travel to Aizawl for the second leg of the semifinals, and the rest of the country will see for one final time, why a football game in the city is a thing of beauty. Whatever has been finished of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will be full, as will be the stands that nobody built – nearby houses, sheds, a water tank, a couple of small hillocks. The wind will blow in from the ravine that separates the stadium from the majestic hills that overlook it.
And there, together, they will have their last stand.
