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Bagan fans arrive in pursuit of glory

May 31, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 06:08 pm IST - Bengaluru:

The Kolkata club last won the league title in 2002

A riotous atmosphere is expected at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday evening when Bengaluru FC meets Mohun Bagan in a winner-takes-all I-League clash. In the final game of the season, a draw will be enough for Bagan to be crowned champion while BFC needs a victory to retain the title.

A crowd of nearly 15,000 is expected. Close to 11,000 tickets have been sold. Bagan last won the league title in 2002. The desire to return to the glory days burns strongly among the club's fanatical supporters. Some 1,500 Bagan fans are expected at the stadium, with several hundred already having made the journey from Kolkata.

“It's been such a long time since we won a major trophy. It's a matter of life and death for us,” said Gourav Roy, a 25-year-old TCS employee in Kolkata who landed at KIA on Saturday. “Some fans boarded the Duronto Express on Friday afternoon; many took the Yeshwanthpur Express in the evening. It's a 40-hour journey and most of them are travelling in the unreserved compartment. But we will do anything for Bagan. People are even flying in from Bangladesh, Dubai and Australia.”

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N. Ulaganathan, one of the finest wingers to have come out of Bengaluru and India, spent eight years at Mohun Bagan, where he acquired the status of a club legend.

He will be at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium for Sunday's I-League title-decider. His loyalties are clear. “I'm from this city, but whatever I am today is only because of Bagan. Naturally, I'm praying that Bagan wins,” he said.

A number of former Bagan players, including Shibaji Banerjee and Compton Dutta, are travelling to Bengaluru for the clash. “Both were my team-mates and we are lifelong friends. I'm looking forward to our reunion,” Ulaganathan said.

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Sanjoy Sen, Bagan's head coach, expressed delight over the vociferous support his side is expected to receive. “It's very inspiring for the boys,” he said. “It's great to see so many people coming from different parts of the country and supporting us. Even they are dying to see us win the title after such a long time.”

His counterpart Ashley Westwood sees things in a different light. “Mohun Bagan have managed to gather some fans because they've got something to play for all of a sudden,” the BFC head coach said. “You don't normally see Mohun Bagan (fans) anywhere unless they're winning; so that speaks for itself. Our fans are with us through thick and thin. But it's nice for Mohun Bagan (fans) to turn up once for a change.”

Should Bagan win, Kolkata will spin out of control, Ulaganathan felt. “When we were there, people would come in tens of thousands to the airport,” he said. “The celebrations will be immense this time.”

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