There is no doubt that Goans have a passion
for all things football. That has always been a given. Some fans are eternal,
following their conventional Liverpool, Manchester and Arsenal, while some draw
more recent allegiances, owing to a club’s popularity and success, as most
Chelsea and Manchester City fans living beyond England are accused of doing. In
similar vein, with Chile barely just springing into the limelight, one can’t
help but wonder whether they will also see such a following on Goan soil. While
Alexis Sanchez will always be a Chilean fan favourite with the Arsenal
faithful, will his team mates receive such a warm reception? That is the
question.
Christine Medeira from Margao is a major
football buff and tunes in to all the big games, yet she doesn’t believe that
the team will garner much support. “I find it hard to believe that there will
be enthusiastic followers of the Chilean football squad. Perhaps it may come to
pass over time. You have to be a true football fan to know of the names that
span beyond Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez. These are the two who are known
the most. Yet, there are other great talents in the team, such as Jean
Beausejour, Eduardo Vargas, Mauricio Isla and Gary Medel,” she says.
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Whether Chile will win over the general
Goan public: only time will truly tell.
Café speaks to a few fans and gets their
take on the red hot Chile:
“Chile can’t really build a fan-base. It’s
only their own countrymen that give them their whole hearted support. The Copa
America has displayed every bit of that. Maybe there will be a few who
appreciate their style of football.
They’ve been a joy to watch though. They’ve got some tough guys in their
squad but sadly it’s just a few names working their magic and also carrying the
country on their shoulders. Viewers might not know of the others because they
may not follow lesser-known leagues closely. Hopefully, the team goes to
greater heights in the future.”
Bosco Fernandes
“I doubt that Chile will be able to form a
firm fan-base outside their own country, as I believe that the only people
supporting them besides their own citizens are either Arsenal or Juventus fans
and that is only because of Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez. They won’t have
too many fans because of the European powerhouses hogging the limelight along
with Argentina and Brazil from the same continent. Besides all of this, the national
league plays a big role too. Hardly anyone speaks about the Chilean first
division.”
Manfred Rodrigues
