Indians LOVE football.
Living next to the Cooperage Football Stadium in Mumbai, I see many young people who enjoy playing or watching football and many more waiting outside for their chance to play. Most Indians who love football follow football leagues worldwide and watch their favourite teams and players.
This following is quite understandable because a few teams in all these leagues have either had some phenomenal success(present or past) or shown potential to do well. For instance, if you were watching horse racing for the first time, you’d root for the horse that everyone was talking about on your way to your seat or randomly select a horse in your mind; but you want to pick a horse or a team, in the case of football leagues.
Now here’s the part I can’t wrap my head around: Why do we Indian fans get worked up when someone takes a dig at the club we support in a foreign league? Why are we in this constant struggle to be counted as a ‘true fan’ of a club? Most of us in India have never even visited the clubs we support, and if you have, it was probably just a couple of times. Our pretentious pride in this football club situated in London or Manchester or Madrid that we support further makes us dismiss the ‘new’ fans or fans seeking ‘glory’ as if we were residents of these cities and supporting these clubs runs in the family.
By buying their kits and merchandise in India, supporting Manchester United or Arsenal is just falling for materialism and consumerism(not judging, simply putting it out there). Because essentially, it is all but a corporation running a football club. Almost everyone is in it for the money. Your manager is looking for better opportunities, and so are your players. That does not make them bad people; it’s just that they are looking out for themselves and their careers. Suarez, for instance, was criticised by many for his decision to leave Liverpool. Still, his desire to play Champions League football alongside Messi and Iniesta is understandable as a footballer. Your favourite player, kissing the jersey today, is celebrating scoring a goal against your team next season. Ask the Arsenal fans. Players who want to retire at the club are sold before they do or find a team that is more likely to get game time. Liked the tiki-taka? Look how they are playing long balls this season. Even the turf at the club has been changed thrice since you started supporting it in 2003. The star player at your club is leaving this transfer season to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.
All this said and done, I’d be lying if I said my heart doesn’t jump in joy when Manchester United win a match. How do you explain this, I ask myself.
Our mind tells us that we should love all human beings equally, it is only an accident that we are born with a particular family name, yet our heart is with our family, and we are biased in our love towards our parents. So naturally, people are condemned if their parents live in an old age home or if their children are not raised well. Say you are a dog lover, people would ask you questions if dogs living on your street were beaten up and malnourished but not in a country where you’ve been to, just a couple of times. I understand that football has become a global sport, and loyalties and rivalries have expanded beyond those cities that house the club. Still, anyone who is not associated with the foreign city or club need not be burdened with the fear of censure or ridicule if he chooses to be a ‘glory hunter or supports a different club every season.
So are football club loyalties frivolous? Not entirely; ask anyone who started following football, and they will tell you they started taking an interest in the sport by following a player or a team. Many people in India, including me, have never watched a basketball game. This is primarily because it seems like a strange world. Following a team helps in the process of getting to know the game well. With fellow fans, you can build a community and share the highs and lows of a season together, which is a beautiful thing in itself.
However, we need to realise that the basic purpose of this exercise should be to create a positive impact on our lives and those around us. It is unreasonable for people to sacrifice friendships and everything else involved in the name of loyalty to a football club. I will be sincere with you and admit that I had no idea about Manchester United when I supported the club. I was drawn to it because I started my FIFA 2004 career mode with Manchester United, and you know how long those lasted. I am sure your reason to select a particular club was a little silly, if not as ridiculous as mine. I will not judge a person based on a person’s loyalty to a club or the lack of it, and neither should you.
Next time you fight with someone trying to defend Fellaini’s elbow, Suarez’s bite or Diego Costa’s misbehaviour, ask yourself if it is worth losing your friend and mental peace over it.
#football #englishpremierleague #laliga #mufc
Mihir Narvilkar 