Q - Please can you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself.
A - I’m Rabishankar Sen, a businessman. I reside in Kolkata, the city of soccer. My ancestors came from East Bengal that is now Bangladesh. I’m an ardent sports lover and apart from soccer I also love cricket.
Q - How long have you been supporting East Bengal?
A - Frankly speaking I can’t remember, possibly since birth. It’s in the blood you see.
Q - What has been your biggest highlight supporting East Bengal so far?
A - Every moment of supporting East Bengal is so rewarding that to point out a single moment is very difficult. But still the Asean Cup win will be the most memorable moment.
Q - How did you get involved with the Real Power fan club?
A - I along with some of my friends founded this fan club as an online community in Orkut. Then we decided to turn it in to a real life one. This is the first online community in Asia that has developed into a real-life community.
Q - That is very interesting. Please can you tell us a little more about Real Power.
A - Presently we have almost 20,000 members on Facebook. Our major aim is to support the East Bengal club and its players. We support the team through thick and thin, through wins and losses, no matter what. We seek to make a healthy and sporting atmosphere in the ground so that the players can perform their best. Apart from that we have some social commitments also. We have arranged health camps and blood donation camps and have some more plans for the future. We have our own website www.ebrp.in where we regularly put updates of the match for exiled fans along with match reports and many other soccer related articles. Our ultimate aim is to bring together East Bengal fans from all over the world.
Q - How did East Bengal FC perform last season?
A - Last season our team did not perform very well. Apart from winning the Federation Cup we didn't win any major trophy. In the AFC Cup we performed disgracefully, losing all the matches.
Q - What realistically are the expectations for the team in the Indian League this season?
A - This season we have built a new team under a new coach Mr. Trevor Morgan. So far this has been a memorable season, with us winning three trophies : The Federation Cup, The Kolkata League and the Jubilee Cup. And we are looking for the Indian League Championship. Presently we have got a very realistic chance to win the league. We are currently in the second spot just two points behind the leaders and we hope to overtake them soon. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Q - And what are your expectations for this AFC Cup campaign?
A - I am sure that we will do very well in the AFC Cup considering the current form of the team. We have got a very balanced team with an experienced coach. We will put up a good show.
Q- Which players should we look out for on Wednesday?
A - We have some really good players like Okpara, Tolgay, Penn and Mehtaab. They are the players to look out for.
Q - What sort of crowd and atmosphere should we expect?
A - Kolkata is a city of soccer so you can expect a soccer crazy crowd who always appreciates a good game. Our home ground Yuba Bharati Krirangan can hold a crowd of 100,000 so you can easily imagine the atmosphere!
Q - What sort of welcome will Chonburi and their fans get from the locals?
A - As I said, we appreciate a good game and you can be sure of a warm welcome from the people of Kolkata.
Q - What do you know about Chonburi FC?
A - We have got some information from various websites about the club and we know that you have performed admirably in recent times winning the Thai Premier League title in 2007 and the FA Cup in 2010. We know of Chaiman, who played against us in the Asean Cup Final for BEC Tero Sasana. He is a highly skillful and crafty player. Last time we watched him on T.V so this time we are eager to see him live.
Q - What sort of press coverage will Wednesday's match get in India?
A - It has already getting wide attention with all the local media both print and electronic covering the match and all the match related events.
Q - How popular is football in India?
A - Football is popular in India but not as much as cricket. But in some areas like Bengal, Goa and North Eastern regions, it is the most popular game.
Q - Are local league matches given much coverage in the local media?
A - All the major tournaments are shown live, though the first half of this season’s national league was not shown due to some administrative problems but now the matches are being shown.
Q - Why do you think football is attracting more fans in India?
A - India has got a good heritage of football adopting it from the British. In past we have performed quite well in the Olympic Games. In fact we are the only country from Asia to get to the last four in Olympic football. For the last two or three decades, the level of football in our country has gone down but we hope that we will soon turn around.
Q - How difficult is it for football in India to attract, crowds, sponsors and players when cricket and hockey are so popular?
A - It is quite difficult and the fact that we have not performed well in recent times makes it more difficult. But slowly the scenario is changing with corporate businesses taking more interest in soccer.
Q - Final question. Would you rather India win the Cricket World Cup or East Bengal FC win the AFC Cup?
A - Well, that’s a tricky question but anyway the country comes first so I will surely put India first on my preference list but won’t be too unhappy with the second option.
Q - Anything else you'd like to add?
A - I would like to see all you fans to come to our city and share the passion of football with us. .
Q - Thank you for your time.
A - You're welcome. Hope to see you soon
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