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Kolkata, June 1 (IANS)
Tremors were felt again in Kolkata but the epicentre was the Mohun Bagan ground here as high-octane screams of adoring fans welcomed the team's I-League winning players on Monday.
Mohun Bagan won the I-league on Sunday after drawing 1-1 with runners-up Bengaluru FC in Bengaluru. It was the football powerhouse's maiden I-League triumph and their first trophy in five years. The win also ended their 13-year wait to win India's top football title for the fourth time.
It took around four hours for the team to arrive at the club tent from the Kolkata airport. But for the fans it was worth the wait as they came from all around the state in matadors and trucks.
Founded in 1889, Mohun Bagan was the first Indian team to win a football tournament that was played in India, defeating East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 to win the 1911 Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield. The feat triggered patriotic feelings and aided the country's fight to gain independence from British rule.
To relive that glorious history, the commentary of the 1911 IFA Shield final match was played at the club to greet the victorious players.
Fans gathered in large numbers at the Maidan-based club. The crowd was so strong that the local police had to intervene and divert the traffic to keep things under control and maintain smooth traffic flow.
The club’s idea for horse-pulled carriage celebrations was abandoned
During the four-hour journey, the team endured a start-stop journey as the players were garlanded at every opportunity.
The fans, who began assembling at the airport and at the club from noon onwards, waited patiently to catch a glimpse of the stars. And as soon as the team bus came in sight delirious fans went into a frenzy, forcing the club officials to abandon their initial plan of putting the players on horse-pulled carriages.
The team made a grand entry into the stadium with coach Sanjoy Sen holding aloft the trophy in the forefront of the bus, amid chants of "Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan" by the vociferous fans.
The entire club complex sported the team's traditional colours of green and maroon. There was hardly any space to move but the players manoeuvred their way to climb the stage temporarily erected for the felicitation.
Popular jubilant club songs like "amader Mohun Bagan" (Our Mohun Bagan) and "amader Surjo Maroon" (Our Sun is Maroon) played in the background as the footballers went up on the stage to be garlanded with red roses.
Sony Norde missed the celebrations due to injury
The only star missing was Haitian midfielder Sony Norde, who reportedly got injured during the revelry and skipped the felicitation programme.
Japanese midfielder, Katsumi Yusa, and Nigerian defender Bello Rasaq drew the loudest cheers. The latter had scored the all important goal which restored parity against Bengaluru FC on Sunday as 1-1 was good enough for the city giants to hold aloft the coveted trophy.
"It has come after a long wait and now we have it. It is dedicated to you people," Mohun Bagan captain Shilton Paul told the boisterous crowd.
