Sports
Welcome to Mokokchung: The unofficial 12th venue of Russia 2018 WC
Imliyanger Aier
Dimapur, June 3 (EMN): Come the 14th of June and the much anticipated FIFA World Cup will raise its curtain in Moscow when the host nation Russia will face Saudi Arabia. And for the quaint little town of Mokokchung in quaint little Nagaland it is a special preparation for their much beloved tournament.
With some residents going even to the extent of painting their houses and vehicles in the stripes of the flags of countries they are rooting for, the citizens’ extravagance at celebrating the arrival of the World Cup is perhaps rivalled only by their annual Christmas decorations.
A justification given by one diehard Argentina supporter encapsulated the sentiment of the town’s people. “The World Cup comes once in every four years but Christmas is an annual celebration. We get to display our affection to our supporting team only once in four years,” according to Imtiyongdang.
Not only does this month-long tournament bring new buzz among the town’s citizens but it also opens new avenues for local Self Help Groups and other groups comprising youngsters who do brisk business by selling hand-sewn miniature flags for prices ranging between INR 150-500 according to the size of the flags. Judging by the number of flags sold, it seems Germany and Argentina are the two most-sought-after by the town’s people.
But, their enterprise does not end at flags alone as they also peddle with copies of the World Cup fixtures costing INR 50 per copy.
Not only the thriving flag business, the sale of television sets and DTH sets also shoots up significantly in the town. According to a survey conducted by Eastern Mirror team, it was estimated that nearly 500 new DTH cable connections have been serviced in the past one week and more than 70 television sets have been outsourced from the shops.
The town also has the distinct history of coming together and showcasing the finals of every FIFA World Cup since the early 2000’s at Imlong place, the town square and the heart of Mokokchung town. It was also learnt that some local youth groups are already putting up plans to project the grand finale at the same venue, and continue the tradition.
“Mokokchung has the distinct history of coming together and witnessing the finals at Imlong Place for the past few World Cups and we don’t want that tradition to disappear and if the district administration gives the green signal, definitely we will chalk some plans out hopefully,” said Along K Ao, a youth leader in Mokokchung town.
With the clock already running down of the day of kick-off on June 14 at Moscow, the citizens of Mokokchung town are fired up for a month-long football induced game of Russian roulette as they place their bet at the high stake of yet football revelry.
And, for the uninitiated, this football-crazed town has gifted to the nation the legendary footballer, Dr. T Ao, the first captain of free India who also played for Mohan Bagan. And for now, almost every house and car in Mokokchung is a means of declaring allegiance to the country of their support at this World Cup.