Sixty-three-year-old Muthuveeran, a long time football fan, never expected to see a huge turnout for a football match in Chennai.
He describes the sight of fans — a sea of blue flags and blue home jerseys — at Chennai’s maiden Indian Super League (ISL) match on October 21 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as ‘surprising’. This is the common reaction.
Chennaiyin FC, the city’s football club in the ISL, has given rise to a section of enthusiastic fans, both young and old. Over 20,000 people watched the first game which saw a star-studded audience including ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan who is also co-owner of the home team. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was also present, in a bright yellow jersey, cheering his team, Kerala Blasters FC.
On Tuesday evening, the team, which will face a tough Mumbai City FC, is likely to be cheered on by 28,000 fans.
No doubt, the football fever has intensified amid the youth of the city, with many bagging tickets for the big tie. “Ten of us have purchased tickets for Tuesday’s game. There is lot of enthusiasm among youngsters and most of my friends have started playing football,” says teenager Bhagavathi Sampath, who is the attacking midfielder for a local club attached to Pachaiyappa’s Harrington Football Academy.
The northern parts of the city have always witnessed a rich football tradition. Neighbourhoods such as Vyasarpadi, Manali and Perambur have boasted of active local football clubs.
Vyasarpadi resident and popular singer Gaana Ulaganathan took to football at the age of nine, and played for a local club, the Don Bosco Youth Centre. “Football runs in my family. My father played football in Vyasarpadi. I was quite active in the local club games and my sons also play the game today,” he says.
Asked about ISL, he said it was a ‘great idea’, one that could provide a platform for promising footballers in the city.
One of the four FIFA-accredited referees from Tamil Nadu, T. Pradeep Kumar hopes that the tournament will bring much-needed investment and media attention to Indian football. “In the last match, it was surprising to see extraordinary crowds. The presence of international players such as Alessandro Del Piero and Bernard Mendy in the ISL has drawn those who follow EPL and Spanish leagues to the stadium,” he says.
Tamil Nadu Football Association’s (TFA) general secretary B. Ravikumar David terms the ISL ‘a new phenomenon’. “I remember three decades ago, large crowds would gather to watch the football matches played as part of the Vittal Trophy and the TN Football Association Shield at the Nehru Stadium when it had kachcha stands temporarily erected using bamboos. To witness such crowds again now for the ISL is simply overwhelming,” he says.
A dampener amid all the enthusiasm is the lack of merchandise for fans. Shops or fan zones selling Chennaiyin FC jerseys and other collectibles are yet to be set up. “A few items like T-shirts and flags are available at the stadium before the game. We are working on setting up a merchandise store for the fans,” says Chennaiyin FC’s media manager, Amoy Ghosal.
