I-League champions Bengaluru FC are on the cusp of making history as they prepare to take on Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim in the second leg of the AFC Cup 2016 semi-final.
If all goes well for Bengaluru at the Kanteerva Stadium on 19 October, they will be the first Indian team to make it to the finals of the tournament. Poised on the brink of success, the Bengaluru club put all hostilities aside and sent out letters to Indian clubs asking for their support.
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Hilarity ensued when an audacious letter addressed to rivals Mohun Bagan was leaked across social media asking for their unerring support as the team from the south prepare to make history for the nation. In an attempt to put nation before club, Bengaluru FC asked their rival fans to come out in support of the team on Wednesday as if it was theirs.
Football News India tweeted a picture of the letter sent by Bengaluru and congratulated them on putting national sentiment first.
There is no love lost between Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru as Sunil Chhetri and his men ousted the Kolkata club as champions last season. The champions understand that well and called for all supporters to stand shoulder to shoulder while putting their rivalry on temporary hold.
“Forget for 90 minutes that we don’t see eye to eye for most parts of the year. Let’s walk shoulder to shoulder on this one. As for hostility, there’s always January.”
Bengaluru already have an advantage over JDT going into the second leg. Even though the first leg ended all square with a 1-1 draw, the Indian team scored an all-important away goal.
If they are victorious on Wednesday, they will go to the finals and face either Iraq's Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya or Lebanon's Al-Ahed on 5 November.
All credit to Bengaluru for coming up with a unique way of drumming up support for a truly momentous occasion for all of Indian football.
JDT will be looking to qualify for their second consecutive AFC Cup final and are also the defending champions of the AFC Cup.
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