The Football Players Association of India organised the FPAI Indian Football Awards 2017 in collaboration with the Mizoram Football Association in Aizawl last, July 1 – Saturday.
For the first-ever ever since its creation, the FPAI Indian Football Awards were handed out at a charity match instead of a gala function and the reason was simple, the FPAI together with the Mizoram FA donated Rs 200,000 (2 lakhs) to the Mizoram Chief Ministers Relief Fund for the victims of the recent floods in the Northeastern state.
The charity match was played between a Mizoram XI and an FPAI XI with Mizoram going into the break with a 2-0 lead through goals from Samuel Lalmuanpuia and Jeje Lalpekhlua, but after the breather the FPAI hit back with goals from Bhaichung Bhutia and Seityasen Singh for the match to end in a 2-2 draw.
To the cheers of over 10,000 fans present at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl, the awards were handed out creating an incredible atmosphere at the venue and I had the honour of co-hosting the awards at the ground. It showed and proved the love that Mizoram and its people have for football.