The build-up to the second leg of the semifinal between Bengaluru and Johor Darul Ta’zim was all about how the match is much bigger than being just about a place in the final of the AFC Cup”which in itself is an unprecedented achievement in Indian football. The occasion brought everyone together”which again is an unprecedented achievement in this country.
Bengaluru FC are not the most popular club in Kolkata. A three-year-old club which had the audacity of taking on the established age-old giants like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and knocking them off their perch. Their fans bragged about being the best in the nation despite backing a club which had no history to speak of. Matches between the Kolkata giants and the Blues in recent times have seen hostile atmospheres in the stadium. Their managers did not get along, and neither did their fans.
The bitterness was not just about a rookie disrupting the established order. The bitterness was from the fact that a club from a city which had very little heritage of football represented everything their fabled clubs are not. They showed exactly what their clubs are missing out on and exposed their administrative flaws much like the day highlights the night.
However, when Bengaluru hosted JDT that bitterness and the rivalry were put aside. People of all jerseys came together to voice their support for Bengaluru. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan fans wished them luck, while fans who prefer to follow European football were ‘feeling excited’ on social media.
Bengaluru wrote letters to East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and asked them for their support ahead of the match and even urged their fans residing in Bengaluru to attend the game. The Kolkata clubs replied in kind and lauded the Blues for their achievements. Mohun Bagan wrote, “Brushing away our domestic rivalry we at Mohun Bagan would root for your team in tomorrow’s epic encounter”. East Bengal replied, “Tonight when 11 of your players are on the pitch attempting to make history, they won’t be alone. The Red and Gold fan in all of us will be rooting for every pass they make, every shot they take. When you face Johor Darul Ta’zim tonight, you are not just representing the city of Bengaluru, but India as a whole”.
When the I-League resumes, assuming there will be enough clubs in the league to resume it, these clubs will once again give each other hell. The fans will once again sport their tinted glasses. But, for once we encountered something special on and off the pitch.
The league and its clubs and its fans showed that I-League might lack the bling but it has a soul. It came together like all the components of a super organism and showed that there is bigger cause out there which transcends rivalry and banter.
Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, showed what a bit of ambition and professionalism can do, and what an Indian club can achieve with proper investment and care. The club knew how to use social media to rope in the fans. They have successfully created a sense of belonging for the fans.
On November 5, Bengaluru will take to the field against the Iraqi Air Force club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in South Korea. Once again, it will be bigger than just the shiny trophy up for grabs. They will also be fighting for a dying league and clubs. It will be the last stand.
That night Bengaluru will be in a position to show the people in power at the AIFF ‘how deep the rabbit holes goes’. Bengaluru are the I-League’s homeostasis. They are The One.
