Bayern, Bhutia and Indian Football

I remember it was back in December that I had heard about Bayern Munich coming to India for a friendly. And somehow completely lost track of it like other Hindu readers. And was a little shocked to read that the match was today. Holy cow, would I get the tickets now. Ephemeral sadness, only to realize that this was India, where Cricket is the religion.

But the scenes at the Nehru Stadium scared the hell out of me. The last time I saw these many people with Indian flags was the agitation for Lokpal. The queue was so long that for a moment I thought I stand no chance. But then this group of people, standing just next to me, had an extra ticket and I pounced on the opportunity. That was good luck and those were pretty good seats as well. Thanks stranger.

Even from outside the stadium, I could feel the electric atmosphere being generated by the rare Indian football fans. And when I got inside, to see the 65,000 capacity Nehru stadium almost full, was a nice surprise. But probably the Indian sports administration did not see this coming at all. All the seats on the upper tiers were covered with a thick layer of dust. Looks like post-commonwealth games, no one gives a damn. It was really pissing to see the wonderful stadium in this disgusting condition. But the fans seemed too excited at the prospect of witnessing mesmerizing Robben and Ribery,

The game started. And I bet everyone was aware of the vast difference in the levels of both the teams. And we were just happy cheering the moment Indian team got the ball or we went into their half etc. To be frank, these were very rare moments. At least in the first half. They scored 4 in the first half mostly from open play and the one from Schweinsteiger was mind-blasting. But kinda got the ball in the second half and created a couple of chances which was nice. And the moment when Bhutia was called off, every one in the stadium stood up and bowed to the man who is the face of Indian football. Respect. It felt kinda nice not to let them score in the second half. Something of a achievement we can say. Moreover, defensively we did pretty well restricting a world class team to just four. And our goal keeper surely deserves an applause.

Overall, a step ahead for Indian football I would say. More clubs need to be contacted and invited to play in India. The football fans seems to be multiplying like anything. It was great to see a near houseful football match when even cricket matches these days are unable to attract crowds. Big names like Bayern are surely a crowd puller and next in line should be none other than the most followed club in India. Manchester United. The only way to catapult Indian football to higher levels is to use such established brands to sensitize the Indian crowd.

P.S. The only thing bothering me was the empty seat next to me.