Historic occasion awaits as Barak and Longterok clash in Nagaland Super League final

• Managers stress need for more leagues in Nagaland to develop players

Tingnyek Konyak and Changsang Ongbou

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• DIMAPUR — As Longterok Football Club and Barak Football Club have sealed their respective places in the Nagaland Super League (NSL) final, set to be played on April 1 at Chümoukedima, both their managers are confident and optimistic of their own team lifting the maiden NSL title.
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• For the technical director and manager of Barak FC, Tingnyek (Ating) Konyak, who holds an All India Football Federation (AIFF) ‘D’ License, the message is simple: “We have to make history as nobody remembers the second.”
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• Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Ating was unfazed by the prospect of facing Longterok in the final, the only team to inflict a defeat on Barak in this opening season of the NSL.

Also read: Longterok to face Barak for maiden NSL title

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• “We have young and energetic players who have played very well till the last match,” he said.
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• While acknowledging Longterok FC’s consistency, the Barak FC manager was positive about his boys preparing well to take on the final challenge.
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• With football fans playing an integral part of the game, he acknowledged the presence of supporters at the stadium as “very important” and appealed to the fans to enjoy the game.
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• The head coach of Longterok FC, Changsang Ongbou, who is an Asian Football Confederation ‘C’ and AIFF ‘D’ license holder, also noted the historic value of the occasion.
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• “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make history and to represent ourselves at the I-League, and we will not let go of this opportunity,” he answered when queried about locking horns with Barak in the final.
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• Changsang said that though they are confident of their game plan and their game spirit, they are “not overconfident at the same time, as one cannot underestimate the opponent.”
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• While expressing gratitude to NSL for providing the opportunity to many football players, he was hopeful that in 5-10 years there will be many football players from the state “if this consistency is maintained.”
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• The NSL, he remarked, is a big platform for footballers, and his team are not going to let the opportunity slip. “Trusting your players is very important,” he maintained.
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• Resonating with Ating’s statement that football fans play a pivotal role in the game, Changsang asserted that without fans, “the game will be of no fun.”
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•  “The love of fans motivates the players, although there may be some pressure that comes with their enthusiasm in the stadium. Fans are the 12th man,” the head coach acknowledged.
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• Need for more leagues
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• Both Ating and Changsang stressed the need for more leagues in the state—at the district or lower level. They observed that the players—not used to playing leagues that stretch for months, as opposed to tournaments that usually end in a week or so—easily get physical exhaustion and mental drain.
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• They shared the same view that most of the football players from the state are not prepared to play in leagues. After a few matches, they tend to get exhausted and suffer injuries as a result, they said.
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• One way of countering this problem, according to them, is to organise similar league competitions even at the district level.