Dubai: There was no doubting the rise of North East as a potential powerhouse of Indian football for the last two decades. It created the biggest icon in this generation in Baichung Bhutia and not to speak of the never-ending assembly line of footballers that the hills provided for the top clubs in I-League, the glitzy Indian Super League or the national team.

If a definitive success in club football was lacking all the while, an unheralded Aizawl FC of Mizoram scripted history when they became the first club from the region to win the I-League, the national league, following a 1-1 draw with Shillong Lajong FC as the dusk settled in Shillong on Sunday.

The feat was no less than doing a ‘Leicester’ in the context of Indian football, and has warmed the hearts of two of the biggest stars to make their mark in the last decades from there in Bhutia and his longtime friend Renedy Singh.

“The success of Aizawl is no flash in the plan — it’s the result of a collective effort of their state government, a proactive state association, which ran a successful grassroots programme as well as the passion for the game in the state,” remarked Bhutia, a former Indian skipper and a Hall of Famer in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Speaking to Gulf News from his home town Gangtok, Bhutia said there was a lesson in it for all the state associations in the manner in which the Mizoram Football Association (MFA) has gone about their task.

“Lot of credit should go to Tete-A (full name Lalnghinglova Hmar), their secretary, whose grassroots programme resulted in winning the Under-19 state title and then the Santosh Trophy a couple of the years back. They also started a Mizoram Premier League, an event which regularly sees packed houses in the matches in all the districts,” Bhutia said.

Former international Renedy Singh also echoed Bhutia’s sentiments. “The likes of Aizawl FC, Shillong Lajong FC had been making an impact over the last five years along with Neroka FC, currently playing in the second tier of I-League. The clubs had been on a huge learning curve and it’s finally a culmination of their efforts despite great odds like a shoestring budget,” said the former playmaker.

Singh, himself a product of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) in 1996, said the influx of players from that region in the national scenario — especially his own state Manipur — started from the late ‘90s.

“Apart from Baichung and myself, there was a surfeit of quality players in the likes of Lolendra Singh, Bijen Singh and so on. There was a pool of 70-80 players from these states who served Indian football for different clubs, but a single successful club was yet to emerge. The success of Aizawl FC has now served the criterion,” he said.

Meanwhile, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel also congratulated Aizawl FC for creating history. “Aizawl FC’s triumph unfurls a new chapter in Indian football history. This victory will encourage the youth of the country and create a self-belief that on the football pitch, you can pull it off with teamwork. Congratulations,” Patel said in a statement.

I-League CEO Sunando Dhar, meanwhile, asserted that Aizawl’s historic run to the title will encourage other clubs from the region to dream big and emulate their success.

“It is a historic day for Indian football. It’s great for a club from northeast to win the highest football award of the country,” Dhar told the media.