From morning, I have received approximately 150 messages asking for tickets. Not for IPL tickets, but for the ISL Cup final between Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) and Bengaluru FC. Tickets are all sold out and fans are desperate for that elusive pass to go and watch their favourite team play.
For the record, India is ranked 126th in the FIFA rankings and our national team is nothing to write home about. Yet when it comes to club football, the passion is intense. Thousands of Mohun Bagan fans will queue up even when they know that tickets aren’t there. The hope and optimism are what stand out and that’s what keeps me positive about Indian football. With such fandom, there is always hope.
It is not just MBSG fans. Bengaluru FC fans have also travelled to Kolkata and will shout for their favourite stars. And that’s what the players want when they step out on the pitch. “A packed stadium always gives you motivation. It pushes you to do something for the fans. They are the life blood of our sport”, said Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Bengaluru FC goalkeeper.
We at RevSportz managed to buy a few tickets when they were on sale on the designated portal. These were meant for our colleagues who wanted to go and watch the final. Seeing the madness, I made a special request to our team that as media, they will have other opportunities to watch MBSG play.
For now, they should give their tickets to deserving fans who are desperate to watch their team achieve a historic double. And may I say, it has given us enormous satisfaction to be able to give a few tickets to these fans. For they are the ones who make sport what it is and continue to serve as the last ray of hope for Indian football.