By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Meghalaya football is presently going through one of its best phases in recent times with local teams now emerging brightly in the country’s football scene.
Though the State has a history of producing talented footballers, it is probably Shillong Lajong Football Club (SLFC) which has truly set the standards for other teams of the State to emulate.
Incidentally, the success achieved by SLFC is not an isolated case since other local teams are also making inroads into the hearts and minds of football lovers in other parts of the country.
Among these emerging teams are Royal Wahingdoh FC and Langsning SC, who are all set to clash for final glory in the prestigious Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy at Nehru Stadium, Guwahati on Friday.
It is for the first-time ever that two local teams would face each other in the summit clash of any national football tournament of repute.
This encouraging trend in Meghalaya football began to take shape when SLFC qualified for the 2009 edition of the I-League, the most coveted football competition in the country.
Though the team failed to create a huge impact, yet the ripples of the achievement of Shillong Lajong began to have its effects on other teams.
The management of several other football clubs especially Ar-Hima, Langsning and Royal Wahingdoh, woke up to the potentialities of their respective teams.
These clubs began by making huge investments in recruitment of foreign players and players from other parts of the North East and the country.
The results were there to see for everyone. Three teams from Shillong (Royal Wahingdoh, Ar-Hima and Shillong Lajong) made it to the final round of Second Division I-League earlier this year.
Even though Shillong Lajong was the only team among the three to qualify for the I-League, yet the very presence of two other teams in the I-League Second Division is a clear indication that club football in Meghalaya has arrived in a big way.
Deputy Chief Minister and in charge Sports and Youth Affairs, Bindo M Lanong, observed that the performance put up by the local football clubs in the Bordoloi Trophy is a clear indication that Meghalaya is dominating the football scene in the North East.
“Personally, I am very happy to see two local football clubs playing for the title in the Bordoloi Trophy. This achievement is more special considering that this is the first-time ever that such a thing has happened,” Lanong told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
Lauding the owner of the clubs for investing in foreign players and the best players from various parts of the region, Lanong said that this was the main factor behind the tremendous transformation in club football in the State.
“Actually, we are following the trend which is being followed in Spanish and English leagues,” he said, while adding that this positive development would definitely boost young footballer in Meghalaya to work harder to make it big in the game.
“I would not hesitate to say that the craze and interest in football has spread like wild fire all over the State in the past few years,” Lanong said.
Meanwhile, Larsing Sawian, owner of Shillong Lajong team, said that two local football clubs clashing for the title in a big tournament is a strong indication of the changing dynamics of club football in Meghalaya.
Even though there are no clubs from outside the North East participating in this year’s edition of the Bordoloi Trophy, Sawian said that one cannot take away the fact that performance of the Shillong clubs in the tournament is really commendable.
Recalling that three clubs from Shillong had made it to the final round of the Second Division I-League, he said that none of the other states in the North East had so much representation.
“This is definitely an encouraging phase of Meghalaya football. If we could retain this momentum I am pretty confident that five years down the line we would definitely become the power house of Indian football,” Sawian added.
However, former State player Sunesh Syiem had a different take on this. “Personally I do not think it is a landmark achievement for the two local football clubs to play in the final of the Bordoloi trophy considering the deteriorating standard of the tournament,” he said.
Syiem said that the Bordoloi trophy was a great tournament in the earlier years considering clubs from Bengal and even from outside India were taking part in the tournament.
For Shillong teams to qualify even to the quarter finals was a big achievement during those years, the former player added.
He, however, admitted that club football in Shillong has really grown when compared to the earlier years.
“The teams from Shillong are much better when compared to teams from Assam,” Syiem added.
Prominent State football coach Hering Shangpliang stated that it is a proud moment for the State with two local football clubs playing in the Bordoloi trophy final.
“This is really a good phase in Meghalaya football which would really boost the morale of the young upcoming players of the State,” Shangpliang said.
The coach, however, had strong reservations about the attitude of the clubs towards local players, saying that most of the clubs were giving preference to foreign players and players from various parts of the region over players from the State.
“I do not think this is a healthy trend. I personally feel that the clubs should provide more exposure to local footballers if the game has to really grow in the State,” Shangpliang said.
He urged the Shillong Sports Association (SSA) and Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) to serious look into this matter.
“I am also of the view that local players should be given the first preference in the State Santosh Trophy team,” the coach added.