Bengaluru FC's appeal to rival clubs for solidarity draws mixed reactions

BENGALURU FC'S UNPRECEDENTED appeal to rival club fans to come out and support them during their AFC Cup semi-final second leg fixture against Johor Darul Ta'zim has been met with mostly positive response.

Bengaluru FC are on the verge of becoming the first ever Indian club to play in the AFC Cup final, and to accomplish that they will have to overcome defending champions Johor on Wednesday. The first leg of the semi-final fixtures played in Malaysia ended 1-1, which means the Champions of India have an away goal advantage going into the second leg.

The Blues maintain that the significance of this historic game transcends domestic leagues and local rivalries. In their opinion, this match is about furthering the stature and prestiege of Indian football, not just about them.

Accordingly, the club reached out to four of their league rivals - Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Aizawl FC and Shillong Lajong - writing them letters and asking them to stand in solidarity with BFC for one day on Wednesday.

#leaked: History always favors the boldest & bravest. End of the day, it's about #IndianFootball. Well played @bengalurufc 👌More soon. pic.twitter.com/frRapRYYBi

— football news india (@fni) October 16, 2016

All four of these popular clubs have a strong fanbase across the country, including in Bangalore. Every time these clubs have visited the city, a large number of away fans have turned up at the Kanteerava Stadium. BFC's appeal for support - a probable first in Indian football history - is an attempt to create a diverse, jam-packed crowd at Kanteerava on Wednesday.

Their appeal has received mixed responses so far. Mariners @ Bangalore, a major Mohun Bagan fan club based out of the Karnataka capital, has come out and expressed their solidarity with their I-League rivals.

@ChiranjitOjha @WestBlockBlues As part of National Club of India, at times we need to go extra mile fr greater good, for something historic

— Mariners@Bangalore (@MBbengaluru) October 17, 2016

Meanwhile, East Bengal Ultras, a Kolkata-based group of the Red-and-Gold fans, have seemingly decided to side with Johor Darul Ta'zim for this game.

@BoysOfStraits in brotherhood with @eb_ultras @OfficialJohor @eastbengalfc #EastBengal #JoyEastBengal pic.twitter.com/aZTuY9OekG

— East Bengal Ultras (@eb_ultras) October 15, 2016

These groups, however, do not represent all East Bengal and Mohun Bagan fans. Both the Kolkata clubs have dozens of similar fan groups who have not taken any official position on this. The Lajong and Aizawl fans, who are not organized into smaller fan clubs to this extent, have also come up with a collective response for BFC's appeal.

But the call for solidarity is expected to work more on a personal level with the fans. And it's more likely than not that all the concerned football fans in India will either make it to the Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday or at least watch the match on TV, just to enjoy the historic occasion and a gripping footballing contest if not expressly supporting any side.

And that more or less accomplishes BFC's objective behind this appeal.