How Aizawl FC Scripted Indian Football’s Greatest Fairytale

With their draw against Shillong Lajong, Aizawl FC became the first team from the Northeast to win the i-League.

Aizawl FC celebrate their maiden i-League triumph (Photo: Twitter/@IndianFootball)

Underfunded and under-appreciated, Indian football gets little to no attention. Every so often however, a story come along that gives us hope again. This time it’s the story of Aizawl FC.

Relegated to the second division of Indian football last year, they were offered an unlikely way back in after Goan football giants Salgaocar and Sporting Club backed out after disputes with the AIFF.

They now stand as champions of the Hero i-League – the first team from the Northeast to do so – and their achievement is nothing short of a fairytale.

A Dream Founded on Modest Means

While the Northeast is commonly associated with football, only big cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru get large amounts of funding. Aizawl themselves had to contend with a transfer budget 20 times smaller than that of Mohun Bagan.

As their re-admission came on technical grounds, they didn’t receive the bonus that a team usually receives after promotion. In addition to this, their shoestring budget had proved scarce last season, and what they were going to accomplish with the same this season was a mystery.

In an interview with Sportskeeda, the chairman of the club Robert Royte said:

I’m quite surprised to hear about his number as our budget is far lower, I feel people put so much of emphasis on money in football, Leicester proved it last time as well. It’s all about improving your weaknesses with the resources that you have.

Khalid Jamil, Manager, Aizawl FC. (Photo: Twitter/iLeagueOfficial)

Rejected by his former club, Aizawl manager Khalid Jamil’s return to the fore is as unlikely and brilliant as that of his team. With a massive point to prove, Jamil adopted a more free-flowing attacking style of play that came as a major surprise to his critics.

In an interview with Sportskeeda, Jamil said:

For me, it’s all about the players. Before this, I was with a team which constituted me to play a certain way. Here I have more freedom and the kind of players also help.

Fairytale Heroes Who Took Centre-Stage

Kamo Stephane Bayi, the flamboyant striker from the Ivory Coast scored six of Aizawl’s goals, forming a devastating connection with Ashutosh Mehta and Mahmoud Al Amna. Bayi’s lung-bursting run and vicious turns of pace have proved a priceless boon for the northeastern club.

If Bayi served as the attacking engine, the steering wheel of the team is Mahmoud Al Amna. Forced to flee his country to escape the civil war, the 34-year-old Syrian has now found a new home among the hills of Mizoram. Serving as the team’s defensive midfielder, Al Amna dictates play from deep midfield, shielding the defence and supplying the attack.

Mustafa Al Amna (centre) has been the heartbeat of Aizawl FC’s side throughout the season. (Photo: Twitter/@ESPNIndia)

Despite being half a world away from his family, Amna perseveres in his adopted home, and his story has made him a cult hero at the club.

More Than Just a Game

For the people of Mizoram who pack the stadium everyday, the journey of Aizawl FC represents something far more than just football. Much like the sport itself, Mizoram is largely forgotten in India’s sports map because like the rest of the Northeast, cricket is not the mainstay of the area.

It’s a big day for Northeast football in India. That part of the country has always been the hotbed of Indian football and we are finally seeing the rewards. 

Renedy Singh, Former Indian Captain