Favourite football teamBrazil         20% Spain        17% Argentina  16% Germany   13% Italy            11% England      9% France        9% Holland      3% Others       2%

They say that sometimes Sports becomes a pivot behind a movement, at other instances it also becomes a defining factor of how a region thinks and acts. People have yet to term this as a defining factor but if one studies deep into the psyche of a common man, sports does become a symbol of dignity and identity at different junctures in life.

India is synonymous to cricket, and when Sachin Tendulkar walks out to bat even people in the remotest villages from Tirupally to Dawki hold their hands with baited breath and a silent prayer. Of course, this debate is not about who Sachin Tendulkar is or why we think that he is the greatest Indian ever to have played Cricket.

But when TNT did an internal survey of the region and asked what was their favourite sport and whether they would be watching the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean or the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, a whopping 78% percent said that they would rather switch on their TV sets to watch Messi or Ronaldo rather than Dhoni

This survey would have come as a surprise to many in the rest of the country but not to the common northeasterner that prides its region as being soccer crazy, in spite of the region not yet recognized as a football powerhouse in the country unlike Bengal and Goa. We shudder to think and ask why the people prefer to watch football over cricket when we are the second best team in the world as opposed to football where we are ranked a lowly 132.

‘We have the stamina and we have the skills but we do not have the desire to go out and showcase our talent in the I League.’ says Anthony Reang from

Most followed stars Messi            26% Ronaldo       24% Rooney        17% Torres         11% Kaka             8% Others         2%

Kanchanpur,Tripura.

But nevertheless the romance between football and the people of Northeast goes back many decades. The British thought that the best way to reduce hostility towards them, by the tribals and hill people was to introduce them to two things which came naturally to them - music and sports. Both music and sports have remained deeply entrenched in the mindset of the people of northeast and their affinity towards this ensured that there was less hostility between the foreigners and locals. Initially the British introduced the game of Cricket, which was more or less rejected by most, except the elite. So the Welsh missions decided to bring the game which was closer to their heart and also suitable for the hilly terrain – football. Also, the British thought that since it rained for most part of the year the slushy game of football would be ideal.

Also in Tripura Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya encouraged the sport and also founded one of the oldest football clubs in the region called the Birendra club, in 1894. Till this day it is an active team in the local league. The game of football was being encouraged by the erstwhile royal families in other states as well, unlike the case in mainland India where the royals had taken to the more ‘elite sport’ of cricket.

A couple of years ago the warring Naga insurgent factions decided to play a football match to reduce tension between them and the match was evoked with enthusiastic response. ‘This is peculiar to the Northeast and you will not see this anywhere in the country where sports are played to reduce intra tribe fighting,’ says Anurab Barua, a historian.

‘Similar matches have also been played over the years in villages and small towns as a sign of goodwill and unity.’ says Arbor Lyngdoh. He further adds that in places like Mairang (West Khasi Hills) the local tournaments are not just a game but also a way of life with festivities and fun and frolic.

This is very similar to what happens in Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and also in parts of Assam.
But what about camaraderie or friendship; to some its more about meeting friends and reuniting to relive the days gone by as Sameer Gurung, a government officer says ‘we friends will catch up in the evening during the World Cup and enjoy the matches over some good food and beer, just like what we used to when we were young; only this time we will not have to lie to our parents’, true nostalgia with a bit of fun and frolic.