Football and Hope
Yesterday, I ended up at the Kanteerava Stadium to watch Bengaluru FC take on Aizawl FC, in the Hero iLeague.
For the Blues, the hopes of retaining the title are all but over (except a mathematical probability, maybe). And Aizawl on the other side have had a tremendous season. They were almost relegated last season, but are currently leading the table and are all set to win the league (unless the teams from Bengal spoil the party). And as a sucker for real life fairy-tales, I do hope they win the league.
The atmosphere was not the best in recent times, given that our title hopes are almost gone. Moreover since it was an early start, even the famed WestBlock Blues looked lacklustre. However, there was a sizeable number of Aizawl fans in the East stands and to their credit, they did manage to make some noise. And a lot of them were there with families (some with infants). It was heartening to see that kind of support at an away fixture.
The match was pretty patchy with both teams off their best, though Aizawl was unlucky to find the woodwork. An injury time header ensured Bengaluru got a win after a long time, as well as put a spanner in the works for Aizawl's title challenge.
However, an incident post match was what stood out for me. The teams were on their way to the dressing room. But one Aizawl player made sure that he walked up to the stand where the Aizawl fans were seated. The other Aizawl players were on their way to the dressing room and had no intention to follow his lead. However, he insisted and he ensured they come and acknowledge the fans.
The player was not from Mizoram (FYI, Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram) , or even India.
He was Mahmoud Amnah, and he is from Syria.
I hope Aizawl pull through! And so does Syria!
For the Blues, the hopes of retaining the title are all but over (except a mathematical probability, maybe). And Aizawl on the other side have had a tremendous season. They were almost relegated last season, but are currently leading the table and are all set to win the league (unless the teams from Bengal spoil the party). And as a sucker for real life fairy-tales, I do hope they win the league.
The atmosphere was not the best in recent times, given that our title hopes are almost gone. Moreover since it was an early start, even the famed WestBlock Blues looked lacklustre. However, there was a sizeable number of Aizawl fans in the East stands and to their credit, they did manage to make some noise. And a lot of them were there with families (some with infants). It was heartening to see that kind of support at an away fixture.
The match was pretty patchy with both teams off their best, though Aizawl was unlucky to find the woodwork. An injury time header ensured Bengaluru got a win after a long time, as well as put a spanner in the works for Aizawl's title challenge.
However, an incident post match was what stood out for me. The teams were on their way to the dressing room. But one Aizawl player made sure that he walked up to the stand where the Aizawl fans were seated. The other Aizawl players were on their way to the dressing room and had no intention to follow his lead. However, he insisted and he ensured they come and acknowledge the fans.
The player was not from Mizoram (FYI, Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram) , or even India.
He was Mahmoud Amnah, and he is from Syria.
I hope Aizawl pull through! And so does Syria!
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