#TFGtake: Mohun Bagan may make history against Tampine Rovers, but who's paying attention?

RIGHT NEXT TO THE mammoth structure of the Salt Lake Stadium is the police commissionarate. Early in the morning, they were holding their Republic Day celebrations. Around 11 am, the programme was long since over, and the place was crawling with onlookers and media looking for a bite from some VIP.

Hardly anybody took notice when a white car carrying the match officials for Wednesday's game between Mohun Bagan and Tampine Rovers slowly drove past, negotiating the traffic. Most of the mediapersons around weren't even aware that there was a game to be held at the stadium, and if they took a 5 minute walk from the intersection they would get to cover the pre-match press conference.

At the front of the country's biggest sporting arena, there was no excited crowd of local fans as Sanjay Sen and Sony Norde drove in to talk to the press. There were no hoardings at the gates or the ticket counter either to proclaim the importance of the event that the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which turned 32 years old on 25th January, was about to host in just over a day's time. 

Mohun Bagan were about to take on Singapore-based club Tampine Rovers in an AFC Champions League qualifier match - a fixture no Indian club has ever managed to win before - and no one seemed to be aware of it.

Inside the lobby there was a casualness to everything. The papers would be closed for 27th January so only a handful of journalists could be seen loitering around. A meeting between the AFC officials and the clubs' representatives was being held, and the power went out. People sat in the darkened conference room for nearly 15 minutes before the generators kicked in. Not the kind of professionalism you want to show before the first continental fixture your club is playing in 5 years. 

Back at the Mohun Bagan club tent, things were looking equally abysmal. The ticket sales were slow, as a result of zero promotion for this match. Some officials estimated that there would be just about 15,000 spectators at the stadium tomorrow. That, in a ground that holds 120,000 people, is more than 90% empty. 

Although the players were not cutting themselves any slack at practice. As the coach said in the presser, they knew what this game - and a potential victory in it - would mean for the club and Indian football. They practiced set-pieces, and some penalty shootout. The presence of fans in the tent was nothing like the days leading up to the Kolkata Derby. 

Sanjay Sen started the day with a long list of injuries. Lenny Rodrigues is obviously still out. Bikramjit Singh, Balwant Singh and Pronay Halder were also carrying injuries from the Kolkata Derby. Even Dhanachandra Singh complained of dizziness in the head following a clash in the Derby. Come matchday morning Sen will have to make some tough calls regarding who to play. The fixtures in the coming few days are quite congested, and if Mohun Bagan win, playing in the second round of the ACL qualifiers will add extra fatigue to players. 

As things stand, it's likely that Jeje Lalpekhlua will start up front along with Cornell Glen. The midfield can also see some major shuffling, which adds to the air of uncertainty over how the match will play out.

The Tampine Rovers camp, on the other hand, looked less troubled. The coach, despite calling Mohun Bagan the favourites, was all smiles and no frown. Prominent striker Fazrul Nawaz was talking about a semi-connection that he has with Mohun Bagan: last year he was playing at Warriors FC, under former Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa.

The Rovers are still in their domestic pre-season so fatigue and injuties are yet to trouble them. What troubles them is not having enough minutes under their belt as a team. The squad has undergone some significant shuffle since last season. And many of their major players have not been registered. Among them is former Arsenal and Liverpool player Jermaine Pennant. This is perhaps the biggest relief for Mohun Bagan ahead of tomorrow's game. 

Counting in Mohun Bagan's injuries and Tampin Rovers' unregistered players, the squads the clubs are about to field are not going to be at their fullest strength. But that does not take away from the importance of the fixture for both teams. 

Tampine Rovers, as a club, are looking to start a new phase. With new international signings and strengthening of the squad over the break, 2016 for them is about winning the S-League and gaining a good reputation in Asia. They are the wealthiest club of Singapore, and in a position where they can aim for something bigger than domestic football.

Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, haven't even found a sponsor this season, with the old sponsorship deal about to land in litigation. Financially they are the opposite of the Rovers. But for them, in the immediate present, it's about something bigger than those trouble; perhaps than themselves. It's about becoming the first Indian club to win a match that is a part of Asia's highest club tournament. And going by the buzz around this game, they definitely stand a fighting chance here to achieve that milestone.

But sadly, many of their fans are not even aware that their club is at the cusp of such a milestone. A combination of lack of promotion, being scheduled after a newspaper holiday and directly after a Kolkata Derby, the match is going virtually unnoticed by the mainstream media. Even Star Sports, who supposedly hold the broadcasting rights of the AFC tournaments, are not interested in showing this match. A local channel, 24 Ghanta, will do the honours; which means most Indian football fans will be deprived of the chance to witness their champion club take a shot at history.

Sandwiched between all these shortcomings is the earnest effort of a few players, and the heartfelt appeals of a coach to all the football lovers in this country to stand by them for the sake of national pride. But few of the larger populace seem to be paying attention to this hastily organized, unpromoted affair.