Federation Cup final - a night of history in Guwahati: for Bengalis and Mizos, that is.

IT'S THAT TIME of the year in Guwahati, when the weather loses its sence of consistency. It's supposed to be summer, but irregular winds bring in periods of relief from heat. It's star sunshine, but short bouts of rain drop by without rhyme or reason. The amount of water the soil has been getting is damn near perfect: it's wet and soft but not slippery. Ideal for football.

As is the case with Indian football, if it's not ISL, a football game does not get much of a promotion. Apart from the one hoarding at the main gate of Indira Gandhi Stadium (looking directly at some scenic marshlands and a couple of faraway hills) there's not much to let townspeople know that the biggest Cup game of the country is happening just a half an hour auto rickshaw ride away from them. Walking into the stadium complex, one can see leftover decorations from the recently held South Asian Games, and the ongoing AFC Cup. Not many visual impressions signifying the existence of Federation Cup. AIFF moved the match to Guwahati only weeks ago and it appears that the Assam Football Association was caught unprepared. 

Lack of preparation was visible on the pitch as well, and Aizawl FC coach made sure to make a point about it in the pre-match press conference,

"There are holes all over the ground. There are places where my ankle sank six inches into the grass. There's one such pothole near the penalty box as well. I think they were made during some athletics event. But they should have been taken care of. Somebody might get injured or the hole can change a ball's direction."

The preparations weren't without positives, though. AFA Secretary Ankur Dutta assured the jounrnalists,

"There will be wi-fi in the press box. And laptop charging points."

And although the local population isn't engaging with the event that much (even the recent AFC Cup matches saw lukewarm interest from the localites), the gala - and potentially historic - Fed Cup final has drawn interest from far and wide. A steady stream of fans is pouring into the city from two directions: Bengal and Mizoram. The ticket counter always had one or two people at its window; faces tired at the end of a long journey, but barely containing the excitement of the occasion.

Two brothers, who travelled more than 400 kilometers by a motorbike from Kolasib, Mizoram to watch this were met with a few green-and-maroon clad Bengalis. Here to support opposing clubs, they discovered common ground in Jeje Lalpekhlua, and complaining about today being a dry day. 

Being from Aizawl himself, Jeje Lalpekhlua is caught in the middle of something of a crossfire. Over the last 12 months, the striker has won almost every major title available: I-League 2014-15 with Mohun Bagan, ISL 2015 with Chennaiyin FC and SAFF Championship 2015-16 with the Indian national team. Now on the verge of completing the cycle with a Federation Cup tournament, he is being bamboozled with appeals from fellow Aizawl residents - through texts and calls - not to score in the final. 

Asked about whether playing against his hometown club was any extra pressure, he smiled,

"It has been my dream to do well against my hometown team or state team ever since I migrated to seek a career elsewhere... it will be great to do well in front of so many fans from my state. This is my first Federation Cup final... I am desperate to lift this trophy."

The desperation reflected in the faces of his teammates as well. During practice, Bagan keeper Debjit Majumder got an ankle sprain. After applying ice pack for a short while, he emphatically insisted on finishing the session. Sony Norde and Katsumi Yusa were speaking in low voice to each other throughout, pointing at certain positions, chalking out details. 

The Aizawl FC team wasn't letting up either. Faced with an opportunity to win their maiden top-flight trophy, that too after getting relegated from the I-League, they now have a make-or-break opportunity to leave their mark in Indian football history, and secure Asian football next season. Few had expected them to come this far, and the squad focused on trying not to let the occasion overwhelm them by keeping their heads down and sticking to their routines on the field. There is some pressure on them, mainly due to the absence of their captain David Lalrinmuana due to the double yellow card he picked up in the second leg semi-final against Sporting Clube de Goa. Although when asked about it Alfred put on a brave face,

"It's a team game. We're here, we're playing against Mohun Bagan in a big game. It's going to be about our spirit and our hunger to succeed." 

It is yet unclear whether the Indira Gandhi Stadium will see a full house tomorrow night. But it's more or less certain that the majority of the seats will be filled by Aizawl FC fans. The presence of so many Aizawl fans perhaps compensates for the fact that Mohun Bagan have been using this ground for their AFC Cup home matches, which calls into question AIFF's selection of Guwahati as a "neutral venue." The Bagan coach didn't want to say much on this issue, while Jahar Das reminisced about his own playing days wearing a Mohun Bagan shirt,

"Back in the 1970s, ninety percent of the support in Guwahati used to go to Mohun Bagan. I don't know if anything has changed."

But a lot has changed since the 70s. Clubs from Assam have withered away from the national circuit. The prestigious Bordoloi Trophy has slowly lost its significance. The youth of Assam seldom was treated to well-promoted, top-level football until ISL and NorthEast United came along. And now they are not responding that well to high-level club football, especially when they don't have a team of their own to cheer for. 

A Mizo college student, resident of Guwahati, put it simply,

"There are lots of Mizos living in Guwahati. They're very excited about it. All my Mizo friends are coming to the game. But my Assamese friends only watch ISL. Right now they're still getting over their state assembly election results."

It's going to be a grand event in every footballing sense. Either we will see Mohun Bagan, who hold the highest number of Federation Cup titles, add to their tally of 13 wins, or a young new club - classic underdogs - establish their supremacy on their very first season at the top flight. But it's hard to say if it will leave a mark on the host city's football culture, once a pilgrimage for all football lovers in India, lying now in ruins.