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Wish we played semis & final here: Bhutia
Some took it seriously while some laughed behind his back when Bhaichung Bhutia said that Silchar, and not Guwahati some 340 km away, should have hosted the semi-finals and final of the 31st Federation Cup, reports Abhishek Hore.
Some took it seriously while some laughed behind his back when Bhaichung Bhutia said that Silchar, and not Guwahati some 340 km away, should have hosted the semi-finals and final of the 31st Federation Cup.
“That’s because East Bengal have a huge number of supporters here and we would have certainly liked playing the semis and final in front of the Silchar crowd, of course depending on our progress,” Bhutia said.
Bhutia’s comment was probably based on the age-old bonding between East Bengal and those who migrated here from Bangladesh, or East Pakistan as it was known Partition.
“Yes, the bonding goes a long way,” said Manas Das, an ardent fan of the red-and-gold brigade corroborating Bhutia's statement.
“Silchar still celebrates whenever the club (East Bengal) wins a tournament or a Kolkata derby,” summed up a local footballer Gulidom Rongmei.
Bhutia sounded positive about Silchar's football prospects. “If Shillong can have a team (Lajong FC) in the I-League, I am sure Silchar (230kms from Shillong) can also have one in the future,” he said.,”
This time nobody laughed, though to some it must have sounded like an exaggeration. “Encouraging words like these from the captain of the Indian team will definitely boost the morale of the youngsters here. For something like this to happen though, it will take a lot of effort and time,” said Babul Hore, general secretary of the District Sports Association.
Thoughts of having an I-League team from here may seem far-fetched in the near future but Silcharites, for the moment, are surely enjoying being up close with top-flight football, especially Bhutia.
