#TFGtake - Thriving despite ISL's onslaught, clubs of the future steal the show at Durand Cup

THE DURAND CUP, one of the oldest football competitions in the world and a major part of India's domestic football calendar, has recently made a comeback with its 128th edition after being sidelined by ISL last year. And the way the tournament has unfolded on the field has been interesting to say the least.

Without any telecast and hastily scheduled to have 33 matches in 15 days, the tournament featured 12 teams from across the country including 4 teams from the armed forces (Army Red, Army Green, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force) in what turned out to be a gritty group stage. Both the pools, which featured 2 I-League clubs (DSK Shivajians and Dempo SC), one club that has officially pulled out of I-League (Sporting Clube de Goa) and 5 2nd division clubs (Aizawl FC, NEROCA, Gangtok Himalayan FC, Minerva Academy FC and Kashmir FC). 

With the participating top division clubs missing most of their major players due to ISL pre-season, it became obvious from the very start that they were not going to be much better than their lower divsion and amateur competitors. In fact, DSK Shivajians were held by Indian Navy (although they topped Group A) while Dempo were beaten by Aizawl FC and Army Red, and they drew with NEROCA to eventually fall short of even making it to the semi-finals.

In the semis were DSK Shivajians, NEROCA, Aizawl FC and Army Green. Two of these clubs have never played in the top division before. And it was these two who ended up in the final.

NEROCA beat DSK Shivajians - the apparent tournament favourites - by a convincing 3-0 margin with goals coming from Sushil Kumar Singh, Meetei and Anandkumar Singh. The other semi-final, between Aizawl FC and Army Green, was a blockbuster that was 3-3 after 120 minutes and saw Army Green pull through 4-2 in the penalties. The shootouts involved an element of luck but no one could deny the sheer mileage the Army Green players showed to pull through a demanding group stage and beat the Federation Cup finalists. 

So on Sunday, we will see an unlikely Durand Cup final clash between NEROCA and Army Green: a second division side from Manipur and an amateur army team. This is significant in several ways. Never in its modern history has the Durand Cup seen a final match take place without a top division club in contention. And for the first time since 2005 it will be lifted by a non top-flight club. This is also the very first time that a club out of North-East India has made it to the final of this historic tournament.

And interestingly, despite the country's heavyweights clubs being absent from the fray, the quality of the football has not suffered. The young squads of Aizawl FC and NEROCA were technically stout and looked good enough to play in the I-League. The Army Red and Army Green teams packed a surprise with their tight-knit gameplay and great team spirit. It was DSK Shivajians and the Goan clubs, who gave away most of their prominent first team players to ISL franchises, who looked out of step on several occasions. 

Despite the tight schedule (again, because of ISL), the matches have displayed good quality football, the semi-finals drew a decent amount of crowd and the final - televised and on a Sunday evening - promises a big turnout at the Ambedkar Stadium. 

What this means, at a time when cup tournaments around the country have been hit hardest by the ISL phenomenon (IFA Shield went into Under-19 coma and Federation Cup is being euthanised) is that there's still hope. It's still possible for a tournament like Durand Cup to stay relevant and popular to a degree. But they need to adapt to the times. ISL franchises aren't real clubs and don't play in cups, and the big I-League clubs are busy elsewhere in a mad calendar. But still you can find popular clubs, maybe from the second tier but with a dedicated following, who can bring a lot of value. 

Aizawl, NEROCA, Kashmir FC (they could have got Shillong Lajong had Shillong Premier League not been in full swing right now) are new to the national scene and they are slowly but surely working their way up. And it's clubs like these who will be the real breeding ground for unlikely heroes and exceptional talents that Indian football have relied upon for ages in their quest for small moments of glory as an under-developed footballing nation. And when ISL, the new top division league, eventually comes under the rules of promotion-relegation we will see these very clubs, with their young skilled players, ascend to the top tier and upset the big clubs with mega budgets and star players. 

But it will be a while before these clubs will have that opportunity. Till then, they can latch onto tournaments like Durand Cup to have an impact on the national stage. The clubs will feed the tournament and the tournament will nourish the clubs. And together they will create their own little ecosystem where everyone can thrive in their own way, despite the all-encompassing influence of ISL on the Indian football landscape.