There’s no denying it – Goa is a football loving state, and has been so from the time I can first remember. Before the days of leagues of any kind, we showed our support for the likes of Portugal and Brazil at every World Cup, for want of other options and lack thereof. Also, given our torrid yet beautiful history with the former country, we somehow seemed to gravitate but naturally towards all Portuguese speaking nations. And so it was every four years – people would first hoist or paint the flag of Portugal with pride on their gates, cycles, cars, selves and any other available space they could get their hands on, till the team got knocked out; and then trade those colours in for the greens and yellows of the Brazilian pennant. Every win, no matter how small, was celebrated with as much pomp and gaiety as if we’d won the cup ourselves, and every loss was mourned like the death of a loved one…
Over the years, as the sport morphed and changed, so did we. Our knowledge of the sport improved, our love for the game deepened and our choices in terms of teams and players to support widened. We went from being ardent supporters every four years to footie fanatics every few months, with a plethora of team colours to choose from and a host of names to scream out. India, as a country, got on the enthusiastic bandwagon too, and soon people across the motherland were exchanging stats, drawing up dream teams and corresponding with people they probably wouldn’t have even spoken to in other situations.
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As the people’s passion began to come together, ebb, flow and come to a heated boil, those in power found themselves with an opportune moment to introduce a homegrown professional football league. And so the Indian Super League (or the ISL, as it is lovingly known as) was born. This endeavour, backed by tons of talent and fierce finances, united India as a football crazy nation; and how! In its early days during the inaugural season, I believe that people took the ISL for granted; not fully comprehending just how much fun, madness, skill and thrill each match carried. But as the league began to gain momentum, one by one, people everywhere found it next to impossible to not get caught up in all the ardent action. After all, they now had local teams with international marquee signings and big name players to call their own! Some even had talented friends and family members join the ranks, rub shoulders with and learn tips and tricks from the stars they’d once watched and admired on the silver screen…So it’s no wonder that people are now turning up by the hundreds and thousands to catch each game that their home team plays and I’ll happily confess that I’m amongst the crowds too for every game that I can manage to get to!
For me personally, it’s been an eye opener on many levels. I’ve got a team to call my own and support whole-heartedly (Força Goa!); I’ve got to see just how much amazing talent we harbour in our sunny little state and how long they’ve needed a platform like this to showcase their skill; I’ve got to see just how many people love the game and the local team FC Goa, as they driven/ridden past me, with flags flying and horns blaring; I’ve seen the pure joy in the faces of the boys as they play out their dreams at every match; I’ve been caught up in the Mexican wave madness in a packed to the rafters, screaming stadium and lost my voice with every else alongside me; I’ve met players from nations across the world who’ve achieved legendary statuses and stardom but still possess an unparalleled humility; I’ve seen people get rowdy and unruly just because they’ve wanted to get into the stadium to see the match; I’ve seen enough to allow me to go on forever. But I won’t. All I will say is that I’ve walked away from each match with one vital lesson in my head – there will always be one winner and one loser but win or lose, at the end of the day, it’s how you play the game!
