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Kolkata, December 21 (IANS)
Amid spraying of champagne, thousands of fans turned out on the streets and in a mall to accord a tumultuous welcome to the players of the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) champions Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) who arrived here with the trophy on Sunday.
An elated team management announced that each of the footballers would be given $15,000 (Rs.9.50 lakh) as a special bonus for their feat.
The team, scheduled to arrive around noon, reached the NSCBI Airport here one and half hour late without several players including the only scorer of the final Mohammad Rafique, who had missed the flight from Mumbai.
Emotive and euphoric fans showered petals, garlanded the players and smeared them with colours as the players trooped out of the domestic terminal carrying aloft the trophy.
This is just the beginning: Ganguly
"It is an extraordinary win. It is the first edition of the tournament and Kolkata have won. What more could we have asked for," said ATK co-owner and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.
Asked to compare between the Natwest trophy, which the Indians won at Lords and the ISL triumph, Ganguly replied: "Both are great victories. No doubt there were many people at the Lord's but here Kolkata have won the first title. I'm extremely happy".
Brimming with confidence at his team's success, Ganguly said ATK would win more laurels in the coming years and he promised to build a stronger team in 2015.
"This is just the beginning. We will win many trophies in future. I'm very happy for Kolkata, we will make a stronger team next year."
At the request of the cameramen and also the fans, Ganguly had to repeatedly hold aloft the trophy, which his side won courtesy a 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC at Mumbai's D.Y. Patil Stadium on Saturday night.
As supporters, donning the red jersey of their favourite team, displayed posters saying "Fatafati Football", players Fikru Teferra Lemessa, skipper Luis Garcia and coach Antonio Habas held the glittering trophy and also posed with it.
The team was put into a bus with the trophy kept in front and taken directly to a South Kolkata mall, choc-a-bloc with sports buff. Many of the fans shouted in unison ‘three cheers for ATK, three cheers for ATK, Hip, hip, hurray’ as the coach and the captain sprayed champagne on the trophy kept on a revolving platform.
