'From my heart a big thank you': Igor Stimac to packed crowd at Khuman Lampak Stadium

This was the first international match to be played at this venue.

It was a night of sheer joy and excitement in the capital city of Manipur on Wednesday. As the All India Football Federation stepped in to organise the first ever Men’s Senior International match in Imphal, thousands thronged the Khuman Lampak Stadium to watch the Blue Tigers in action in the Tri-Nation friendly tournament opener.

Not a single empty seat was in sight as iconic footballer Sunil Chhetri led his men onto the field. In fact, the stands were full long before the match kicked off at 6pm IST once again underlining the popularity of the game in Manipur and how right the federation was in taking the tournament to the north-eastern state.

Indian Football decided to turn it's attention towards Manipur for the March 2023 FIFA International Window to host the Tri-Nation International Friendly Football Tournament, and the state capital did not disappoint.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh turned up at the stadium amidst much fanfare and lauded the AIFF and it's President Mr. Kalyan Chaubey for taking the right step in taking football to different parts of the country.

"The stadium is packed with our supporters and finally we are playing international games at home, so the expectations are big," exclaimed a delighted India head coach Igor Stimac before India’s match against Myanmar kicked off."It’s great to see so many people coming to the stands even 2-3 hours before kick-off. All I can say from my heart is a big thank you. I know they will get behind the boys and cheer them for 90 minutes, and that’s really important for them here," he further stated.