Last year it was the Aizawl Football Club of Mizoram which made all of us proud by winning the coveted I-League. This year, another football club from Manipur Neroca has also made us proud. Unlike Aizawl, Neroca could not win the title but it has won the hearts of millions of football fans in the country. It’s a pity that the club had to stop just a step behind the ultimate champions Minerva FC of Punjab. But clearly the club from Manipur has made its presence felt by winning the fair play trophy as well as the honour of being the best organiser title. This is no mean achievement. It proves that not only the north-easterners play the game with true spirit, but also a good host. Being a good host in Imphal is not easy because the capital of Manipur is devoid of many facilities in comparison with other big cities of the country. It is an honour for the Manipur club. At the same time it is proud moment for every north-easterner as once again the people of the region have proved that they are second to none, be it in sports or in any other sphere of life. We hope that next year another club from Northeast will make us equally proud.
For those who know the region it is no gainsaying that sports is in the blood of every north-easterner. The list of north-eastern sportspersons excelled in international arena is not a short one. Apart from hockey, India got the first individual medal in Olympics in 1992 Barcelona Olympics when Assam’s Dipankar Bhattercharjee won Bronze in Badminton. But sadly no one speaks about this achievement any longer. The focus has always remained on others who are from mainland. Northeast has given India its first captain in football. Dr. Talimeren Ao was the captain of Indian Football team which participated in London Olympics in 1948. He was also the flag bearer of the Indian contingent in the said games. Under his leadership, India fought bravely against France but unfortunately lost the game 2-1. India could easily win the game if it had not missed two penalties. Besides, Dr. Ao and Sarat Das of Assam were the backbone of oldest football club in the country Mohan Bagan during mid-40s. But it’s a pity that our football federation wilfully forgot the brave heart footballer once he hung up his boots. Even when the standard of football was going down, not even once Dr. Ao was called to help budding footballers of the country. Notwithstanding being the first flag bearer of Independent India in the Olympics, he had not been awarded with any government honour. Same is the case of Mary Kom. The golden girl from Manipur made the nation proud for her Bronze medal winning performance in London Olympics. Apart from winning an Olympic medal, Mary Kom won five world boxing titles too. Yet, she has to wait for long to be honoured with Rajiv Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour of the country. There are many instances to prove that north-eastern sportspersons did not get due recognition at the national level. But to their credit, the north-eastern sportspersons have taken all these in to their strides and kept on marching forward. Not by blaming anyone, but by their performances they have forced the people concern to admit their mistakes. Keep it up. Keep the flag flying.
