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MY JOURNEY AS A FOOTBALL FAN

 



Hi everyone, how are you doing? Hope you are absolutely in the best shape and rearing to go and shine in 2022. Its special, after all its a new year, a World Cup year. Yes, the FIFA Men's world cup takes place this year in Qatar. The mere mention of the world cup is so special to any football fan, the passion, the drama, the joy, the tears and all the sacrifice one makes to make their country proud in front of the whole world is something I can just admire. 2022 is also special for me because it marks 8 years of me being a dedicated football fan. Yes, THAT world cup in Brazil, 2014, was enough to make a 12 year old me fall in love with football. It was one of the best tournaments in recent memory, with the suspense continuing till the final match itself. Mario Goetze putting the ball in the net in extra time broke a million hearts, but it made another million dance with joy. Here's me reflecting on my journey as a football fan since then, and I feel many of you can relate with me. So sit back and enjoy ;

1. The Initial Days

India as we all know is a cricketing nation. People here swear by cricket. Its loved in India more than its loved in its motherland, the UK. And I was no different, growing up I was a huge cricket fan. I even wanted to be a cricketer at one point. Other sports like football were nothing but boring and monotonous. Add to that, the IPL, which cricket's premier league made a young me mesmerized every time I saw a match. I remember, the year was 2014, and my hometown IPL team KKR had just won the IPL, which was a huge thing for me. I was so proud and enjoyed the moment like there was no tomorrow. Then, one day I saw the football world cup schedule in the newspaper, and it was colorful. The editor who made it did a good job. So out of curiosity, I watched the highlights of the match between Brazil and Mexico, and boom, was enthralled by it. How did I never watch this sport? Why was I not made aware of this level of excitement? I remember I supported the Netherland in that World Cup, the reason being Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, they were magical that summer. And hence my football journey began.

Football as I see it

2. Choosing a Club

Its a dilemma we all have faced once, especially when we are young. Should I choose a team just because my favorite player plays there? Or should it be on merit? Can I change my team if they don't perform well? These were some of the questions that plagued my mind. Luckily the team I chose not only had my favorite player in it, they also captivated me with their football, so much that today I still support my team although my idol left in 2018. In case you have been wondering, yes its the best team in the world, Real Madrid. I chose the team because of Cristiano Ronaldo, a player and a person I've admired for the last decade or so. But even after he left, I stayed behind for my club, the memories, the attachment, the joy, the heartbreaks I had over the years were too much to leave behind.

Real Madrid 2014

3. Football Scene in India

As I've said before, India is a cricketing nation, the cricketers are worshipped like Gods here. They are the most powerful people in the society other than politicians and actors, so much so that I feared that I will be called weird for being a football fan. That's one insecurity I still carry today, although the situation has improved quite a bit. The problem here is, you can't find many people to converse with about football. People will think you are weird if you speak things they don't understand. I've grown accustomed to this, but any fan from anywhere in the world might find this strange. Yes, in India people will prefer a 5 day test match over 90 minutes of excitement, which is fine by me. I don't get to dictate other people's choices, but the apathy towards any sport other than cricket is just sad in this part of the world. Till today, we have to beg to the federation to broadcast our national team's matches, which I think is quite bizarre.

4. Being an Indian Football Fan

Being an Indian football fan is tough, it tests your patience, makes you question the logic behind supporting this team, yet still every matchday we turn up like unfed children at a food camp to support those 11 warriors who fight it out on the pitch to the best of their abilities. Unlike many others, I started following Indian football first, then European football. Choosing a team was easy as my family has been an ardent supporter of Mohun Bagan for generations. Mohun Bagan, an Indian club founded in 1889 is the most successful club in India. Mohun Bagan, along with arch rivals East Bengal and handful of clubs from Goa, Kerala and northeast India kept the sport alive. The Indian Super League arrived as a savior of Indian football in 2014. The glamour, the blitz was something never seen before outside cricket in India. Although it was heavily influenced by foreign players in the initial years, the focus is slowly shifting to Indians and unearthing the next gen superstars. But still, an incomplete league, 2 top leagues occurring simultaneously, lack of investment in youth and poor infrastructure means India is far far away from even challenging for top honors anywhere.


5. The Indian National Team

Indian football is weird to say the least, we are not technically gifted like the Europeans, nor skillful like the South Americans, nor we are fast and physically strong like our African counterparts. Yet we believe, believe that we can make up for that deficit by sheer hard work, and that's what sets us apart. I remember watching a Calcutta Football League match between Peerless SC and Aryans Football Club, two teams local to West Bengal, India. The field was muddy, the players including the foreigners were poor to say the least, yet the match was entertaining. Entertainment is one thing guaranteed in Indian football. And isn't it why we watch sports? Entertainment is the only way to attract new viewers. Here we don't get to see Pep and Mourinho trying to cancel each other tactically. The same is the situation with the national team. The problem is, we put up fights against big teams, but struggle against the smaller teams. The coach, Igor Stimach is a former world cupper for Croatia, and somewhat defensive in his approach. And, to be honest I don't like it. I've Spanish coaches who are attack minded do wonders in Indian football, and suddenly comes a coach who takes away all that creativity and plays the same players, same formation and same tactics over and over again. He might be new, but the red flags he gives are too dangerous to ignore.

Sunil Chhetri, the greatest Indian footballer ever

6. Memoirs of a Football Fan

They say football fans have a short memory, but can I ever forget Ramos 92:48 ? Or Cristiano Ronaldo terrorizing defenses? Gareth Bale's bicycle kick vs Liverpool ? The Champions league 3 peat? Asian fans should get much more credit than they get, we watch matches held at 1:30 at night, we wake up at bizarre hours to support our teams, and then we are told, " You Asians don't know the passion of supporting a club". Like, Dude if I were a glory hunter I would have supported a new team every season. Just remember, if you are Asian and support your team even at 2:30 in the morning, you are even better than a season ticket holder!

Mohun Bagan players after the first I League win

Closer home my best memories have been Mohun Bagan winning the I league twice, the second time being a tad bit special since we absolutely dominated every team in the division. The Indian team qualifying for the AFC Asia cup was a big thing as well. The match we won vs Thailand, 4-1, I still watch the highlights till date. India winning the SAFF cup beating Afghanistan in the final was probably the first time I celebrated wildly. Recently, Fc Goa's campaign in the AFC Champions League was a joyful occasion as well. Being an Indian football fan is hard, the good moments are scarce, the federation in charge doesn't care, the people in charge don't care. Yet once in a century a talent like Sunil Chhetri is born in this rotten country, whose aura can't be subdued by the incompetent forces at work. The future of football looks bright in India, but still far far away. My only hope, is one day football will reach that level of popularity so we don't have to feel weird or different while talking about it. The footballers, male and female, deserve the utmost respect, for they are warriors who didn't bow their heads, they continue to soar in this pantheon of Indian and World football.



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End of blog, if you enjoyed my work consider sharing, its completely free and motivates me to write more. Suggest topics you want me to write on in the comments. Until next time, goodbye and take care!

  

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  1. Ritam Chakraborty January 27, 2022 at 11:32 AM

    Wonderful dude. I can relate to most of this.....and it's a massive coincidence that I started watching football in 2014 and European football in 2015.....I request for more of these

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richik NagJanuary 27, 2022 at 11:47 AM

      Thanks so much mate!! I'll surely do more of these, keep supporting 😊

      Delete

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