Spectators cheer during the match at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Oct. 13: The Indian Super League has put football very close to cricket, if not on a par, if one goes by the full-house ticket sales for the North East United-Kerala Blasters match at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here this evening.

Ever since the craze for prestigious meets such as the Bordoloi Trophy and the ATPA Shield had somewhat withered over the years, rarely has Guwahati seen the kind of scramble for tickets ahead of a football match as the one in the run-up to the country’s premier football tournament.

“I was lucky to get a ticket yesterday as the counters at Sarusajai closed down by mid-morning itself. We were told it was a sellout,” said Kalyan Deb, a 24-year-old entrepreneur. The online sales that opened on bookmyshow.com earlier this month were closed last evening.

“I had booked my tickets online. I am a die-hard soccer fan. Thank goodness for not leaving it till the last day,” said Aryan Kumar, a student of KC Das Commerce College.

Many of the queues outside the stadium were snaking into the various gates from quite a distance, making it intimidating for the fans.

The spruced-up stadium built for the 2007 National Games has a capacity of 35,000.

John Abraham, co-owner of the Northeast United FC, waves to the crowd at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos

With VVIPs and VIPs attending the match, security was beefed up in and around the facility over the past few days. There were desperate faces outside the stadium premises.

Those who failed to get that all-important ticket to the stands, including hundreds of soccer fans from Meghalaya, hung around in the hope of catching the star footballers and the stars who own the franchises.

“I have been waiting outside the gates since noon to catch a glimpse of Sachin Tendulkar (co-owner of Kerala Blasters) but to no avail,” said Amar Deka, a student, attired in a Neymar jersey.

By 4pm, three hours before the kick-off and an hour before the Zubeen-Papon show, the lines to the 25 gates around the stadium were swelling, getting longer and louder, thanks to the beats of the dhol that a few were carrying.

But what’s pulling the crowds to a stadium that is about 20km away (cut-off by Guwahati’s standards) from the city centre? There are many attractions with varying preference patterns among the fans.

Firstly, Guwahati, or for that matter, the Northeast, has a franchise of its own.

While the beauty of the beautiful game will always be appreciated, the chance to root for a team that they can relate to sets the mood in both old and young football fans alike.

Secondly, there is the glamour and entertainment quotient driving the passion, with the presence of the who’s who in tinsel town and sports.

The co-owners of the respective teams, John Abraham and Tendulkar added to the excitement.

Then there was the urge to see and hear the “melody heart-throbs” of Assam, Zubeen Garg and Angaraag (Papon) Mahanta. “I am a fan of Zubeen and have come to see him and Papon perform,” said an excited Barbie Sarma, a student who came with her friend Papori.

The incredible crowd response is bound to give cricket a run for its money. It is indeed a good beginning for football in the Northeast.