Distant in east, football beats cricket’s extravaganza

Aizwal, May 14: Big applause and shouts of dismay were heard in every locality of Mizoram's state capital and other places on Sunday night to watch a pulsating English Premier League final match even as the rest of the country was hooked to the Indian Premier League cricket extravaganza.Traditional drums joined the cheers as firecrackers lit up the night, on the lines of the New Year to mark the win of Manchester United in the premier championship. One of the fans Zoramdinthara, a lecturer of Pachhunga University College, sent a number of sms to his friends and friendly banters to the supporters of rival Arsenal. A senior police officer said crimes like burglary and theft never occurred during World Cup football matches as even petty criminals were glued to TVs watching the matches. All the local papers in Mizoram, where the European football is keenly followed, concentrate mostly on the game as a column is set aside for war of words between fans of English football clubs where sms received from the fans are published. The eight-paged largest circulated vernacular daily 'Vanglaini' devoted two of the last pages for sports and used the last page mainly to publish stories about football. Sports writers like Mamuana, Lalnghinglova Hmar and Hmingsanga are treated by young as celebrities for their contributions towards improvement of young Mizo footballers and also giving them the latest news and views about global football scenario. Local television channels also organize weekly talk shows on football by sports writers which has a large number of viewers. Bureau Report