"We're doing this for India": Sanjay Sen calls out to all Indian football lovers for support

SANJAY SEN refused to put Mohun Bagan ahead in tomorrow's AFC Champions League qualifier against Tampine Rovers. He said the game will be a tough test for the club and asked all Indian football lovers to support them as the Mariners are representing the country in this tournament.

When informed that the Tampine Rovers coach, V Sundramoorthy, has branded Mohun Bagan as the favourites in tomorrow's match, said it might be a tactical move on on the opponent coach's part,

"Calling us favourites may be a mind game that the opponent coach is playing. And we all know Maidan proverb 'pocha shamuke pa kate' (even a rotten snail can cut your leg). We'll be cautious, try and figure out our opponents at first, and then move for offence. Whether it takes 90 minutes or longer, we're mentally prepared."

About the match itself, Sen said a cautious approach was necessary for the Green and Maroons, because they haven't seen this Tampine Rovers team in action before,

"We're ready. But the problem is that we don't know the opponents very well. I told the boys, playing in the ACL is a big challenge for us. Our aim is to do well and as an Indian club, make our country proud in the Asian stage."

This match is going to be the I-League winning coach's first continental assignment. Sen, despite sounding slightly optimistic, refused to believe that Mohun Bagan have an advantage just because they have 4 foreigners available for the match, while Tampine Rovers have 2,

"It's not important to me how many foreigners they have. And Singapore is a very diverse country when it comes to citizenship. Their captain, I heard, is Serbian, and later became a Singapore national. So it's wrong to say we're ahead just because we have four foreigners."

The coach said he was aware of the fact that no Indian club has ever managed to win an ACL Qualifier before, 

"Bengaluru FC and Pune FC have played in the ACL qualifiers before and lost... so we'll go all-out for this one. This game is not just about the club, but about the whole country... it can bring us a lot of pride. I've already talked to the players about it, and will stress on it again at the practice sessions and pre-match pep talk."

Talking about the balancing act a coach has to do due to AFC tournaments and I-League running in parallel, Sen said,

"I've always noticed that the Kolkata clubs find it hard to figure out which competition to give priority to, ACL or I-League. We tried to prioritise I-League and didn't win it for 13 years. So I-League, ACL and AFC Cup if we end up there, they all have the same importance to me."

He also touched on the congested fixture that Mohun Bagan are having to play through this season. He said it would help the Mariners if tomorrow's match does not run beyond the regular 90 minutes,

"The match starts at 7 pm and if there's extra time and penalties it may run till 10:30. So it's best if we can do it in the first 90 minutes. Because we have an I-League away match on the 30th, and we may end up having to play 3 matches within 8 days. If it sounds like an excuse, suit yourself. I'm not one for excuses. We're playing under some tough competitions, and if we can't end this match in 90 minutes, the extra 30 minute can wear out our players. So it'll be great if we can finish it in 90 minutes. But it's not always in our hands."

But he also stressed on the importance of the game, and expressed hope that fans from around the country - even the supporters of arch rivals East Bengal - will support Mohun Bagan since they are representing India in this match,

"I hope even East Bengal supporters turn up to support us. There are a lot of people who want Indian football to get ahead before all else. Whenever other Indian clubs like Dempo and Pune FC have played in Asia, I have always wished them well. I have told players, we must try to match or exceed what Dempo and East Bengal have done for India at the Asian level. So there's no internal strife here. I hope East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting supporters and anyone who loves Indian football will come and support us. Because we're doing this for India."