Hordes of Mohammedan and Abahani fans created a buzz in and around the Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Federation Cup final.

This is the first Federation Cup final between the two traditional powerhouses of the country's football in 14 years, and the first final appearance for Mohammedan in any tournament in nine years. Hence there is a lot of excitement among fans of both clubs with an expectation of a memorable final.

Despite the final being played on a weekday, a lot of fans from Dhaka and areas surrounding Cumilla made the trip to the Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium, braving scorching heat. Not all of them are perhaps diehard fans of local football, but they were all hoping to be part of the first top-tier football final played outside the capital.

The bus this reporter travelled to Cumilla from Dhaka had at least five or six people going to attend the match. The man sitting next to this reporter, a service holder, said he had told his office he had an important personal issue to attend to. 

A Cumilla local, the man said he had been asked by a friend, who is a member of a Mohammedan fans club, had asked him to arrange supporters from his locality.

As per local organisers, some five thousand tickets have been issued for this match, with the option of more than one person to be allowed entry with one ticket, in the 15,000-plus capacity venue.