Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 13
The runaway leaders of the Nagaland Premier League, Veda FC were at the receiving end of a lesson on football at the DDSC stadium on Saturday last even as a rampant Dimapur United engineered an abrupt halt to the leaders’ winning streak-thanks to a hat-trick from the United hitman, Aamir. Thanks to a favorable draw, at least up to this stage, the new entrants did not have to play in the hostile conditions of Dimapur until Saturday last. While it is in no way a fluke that Veda FC came to Dimapur as the runaway leaders, yet the sneaking sentiment that their true mettle would only be tested in front of a rowdy and very partisan Dimapur crowd persisted.
And yet, most unfortunately, Veda FC ended up losing more than just the match and the three valuable points attached with it. Football, at any level, is no stranger to controversies or incidents involving teams crying foul against match officials.
It is when teams or representatives of a particular team decides to abuse the officials after the game, that too right in front of the management team, that such things turn the ugliest turn. In all fairness, the officials overseeing the match on Saturday did a commendable job.
Of course, both the teams complained, ranted and shouted their disapprovals of some decisions by the officials. That is all part of the package that makes up for a highly charged encounter between teams as talented as Veda FC and Dimapur United.
But to “visit” the officials’ table after the game and charge them of unfair play, right in the open, in front of the NPL management team itself, was football in its ugliest disposition. Out there in the players’ hut, at the same time, the players were kicking and using languages that were extremely unprofessional to say the least.
An extremely hurt and shocked match official finally discarded dignity and challenged the complainant to fetch a Bible and swear. Once again, the match commissioner had to intervene just as he had, during the match.
Till the filing of the report on Sunday evening, it was not clear as to whether the NPL management would be initiating an enquiry into this ugly turn of events. Last season, the captain of one of the NPL teams had the audacity to approach the officials’ table and break it into half, which went unpunished.
And it is indeed a shame that the match would be scarred with such an ugly turn. Because we should be rather celebrating a heroic performance, especially in the second half, from the players of Dimapur United.
Aamir bagged a hat-trick but it was in every sense of the word, as collective a performance inside a football pitch can be. The midfield duo of Ranadip and Bapan Bera were simply outstanding. The later’s delightful chip to set up Aamir’s third goal was the highlight of the match.
Incidentally, Aamir’s third goal was also the best of the lot, even as he took control of the lobbed ball, took one touch and volleyed it past the keeper in the 79th minute. His first goal arrived in the 39th minute while the second came in the 75th.
For Veda, the goals arrived through the boots of Apam in the 53rd minute and Thopi in the 82nd minute.
An intriguing game, despite the score-line, was however spoilt once again by things that occurred outside the 90 minutes of football. And it continues to be a perennial shame that plagues our love for the beautiful game.
