How Aizawl mirrors Mizoram's growth

They made a backdoor entry into the 2016-17 I-League but exited through the porch, stunning into silence those who questioned their credentials of being in top-flight football.

With only three outstation players — a Goan goalkeeper and two Mumbai born players — bit-part, low cost foreigners, a 30-member squad shepherded by a ‘relegation specialist’ coach, Aizawl FC had all the trappings of an also-ran team, only there to make up the numbers.

But they succeeded in pulling themselves up to the summit in stunning fashion, above the high and mighty. The path was arduous and started in 2012, when Robert Royte took ownership of a club defunct for 13 years,. His plans were aided by the commencement of an eight-team Mizoram Premier League in the same year.

Sponsored by a local cable TV company, the MPL, held at an annual budget of around Rs 25 lakh, gave a new fillip to the sport in the state. The league stretches from late August to December each year. All matches before packed grounds, are televised.

Every year, a team gets promoted and relegated. Apart from the composite tournament, eight district associations of the state conduct their own leagues under the aegis of the state’s governing body.

“Aizawl’s success is because of the MPL. The state governing body flourished after Lal Thanzara took over as the Mizoram Football Association president in 2011,” Mizoram FA secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar a.k.a Tetea tells this paper.

“The league has given exposure to talent, steadily helping develop players, who need a platform to showcase their skills. Players are also given proper training, which hones their skills for improvement.”

These measures lifted Mizoram football’s profile, the crowning moment coming when they won the 2014 Santosh Trophy, followed by the gold in 2016 National Games’ men’s division. Local enthusiasm was never in question but increased markedly after Shylo Malswamtluanga, or Mama as he is commonly known in football circles, broke through the ranks to become the state’s first professional footballer, joining East Bengal in 2002.

The MPL and Aizawl have only acted towards building that interest. “Aizawl’s rise mirrors that of Mizoram’s because they essentially use the same set of players,” Hmar says.

Hiring the ‘scarred’ but experienced Khalid Jamil as head coach turned out to be an inspired decision. Aizawl began their I-League life in 2015-16 under Spaniard Manuel Retamero Fraile, the manager who led them to triumph in the MPL that season. But his inexperience in the country’s top tier saw them slump to four losses in their first six matches, never recovering from that early setback despite a change at the helm, to go down.

That led Royte to search for a coach with the know-how of the Indian scenario. “Inexperience of the coaching staff and players was the main weakness of the club last season. To address this Khalid Jamil was the right option,” Royte observes.

“We gave due emphasis on a youth development programme since I took over the club in 2012. The amount of investment on YDP is much more than the investment in the senior I-League team this season,” Royte says. This orientation towards youth and regional players paid richly and Royte and Mizoram FA have every intention of sticking to the ‘magic formula’.

To unearth and nurture talent, veteran Jahar Das, once coach of Mohun Bagan, was roped in. Das’ behind-the-curtains contribution has been immense, overseeing three junior teams, U-13, U-16, and U-19, which form the club’s feeder line. His tenure also coincides with the club’s plans to operationalise a ‘state-of-the-art’ residential academy and bringing a more systematic approach to their YDP.

Das isn’t surprised by Aizawl’s meteoric rise or with the local community’s unwavering support. “Last year we showed glimpses of our potential in reaching the Federation Cup final. We plugged the loopholes of our team this season. Goan goalkeeper Albino Gomes, Syrian midfielder Mahmoud al Amna, Ivorian striker Kamo Stephen Bayi and the team’s skipper Liberian Alfred Jaryan have bolstered the team,” he says.

“Recently we conducted trials for the U-13 and U-14 teams and nearly 400 kids turned up, underlining the local enthusiasm,” Das adds. “The state government and Mizoram FA are working together hand in hand. The government is providing infrastructure, helping in improving football standards and development of players,” Mizoram FA president Lal Thanzara says.

This ‘look within to prosper’ mentality has resulted in a steady influx of Mizo players in the market, 52 across all I-League teams to be specific. As AIFF’s technical committee chairman Shyam Thapa points out, “each I-League team are loaded with boys from the region. Earlier Bengal footballers ruled the roost but now North-east players have taken over.” Royte intends to keep Aizawl’s identity intact, which they have built brick by brick.