When it comes to football, Goa knows how to take the lead. For the Indian Super League
match against Bengaluru FC today, the cheers echoing through the stadium will
be louder with the presence of over 160 FC Goa fans cheering the team. The FC
Goa Fan Club are headed to Bengaluru for the away match against Bengaluru FC
and it’s the first time that a large group from Goa is headed to an away venue.
Omkar H, founding member of FC Goa Fan Club, says, “We were the
first to initiate the trip with FC Goa in collaboration with Kingfisher. We
started with a bus of 40 but then the numbers swelled up to 120 with other
groups like Football Dugout joining in. There will also be a bus of 40
containing the winners of the recently held Kingfisher contest, taking the
total number of travelling fans to 160. Also, many more Goans based in
Bengaluru are expected to join us in the stands. We are also carrying huge
flags and banners to show our support.”
Omkar adds, “We are very excited that our plan of travelling
together as a big group is finally coming true. I would like to thank FC Goa,
Kingfisher, Football Dugout and all the members from the FC Goa Fan Club for
their support. We will be seated in the North Upper Stand at the Kanteereva
Stadium in Bengaluru, along with all the FC Goa fans and we’ll support our
Gaurs to the fullest.”
Since this is the first trip, the Fan Club is growing in
experience and planning a bigger meet for the next away match at Pune on
February 25, 2018, where the target is 300 travelling fans from Goa. The fans
will arrive in Bengaluru in the morning of February 9 and then they have
organised a march from a mall to the stadium, for which all FC Goa fans will
meet up. They will be returning in time for the Carnival Parade at Panjim on
February 10.
FC Goa Fan Club has been in existence since before the ISL
kicked off and they now have over a thousand people following them on social
media. “The initial plan was to take a couple of buses so we refrained from
posting anything online as the response would have been difficult to handle. We
spread the word on a Whatsapp group and within a few hours, we got response for
the numbers required. Since we were the first to approach FC Goa with the plan,
our group has been offered the bus free of cost with the help of Kingfisher,”
explains Omkar.
Varun Mandrekar from Calangute says, “I want to thank the whole
FC Goa management for organising the trip for the fans and we are looking
forward to being the best twelfth man at an away match. We are almost in the
second part of the ISL and most of the teams are trying to find their place in
the first four, so it’s a very important match for Goa, and they must win it.”
Johnny
Carvalho from Nagoa, Verna, is excited about his journey to Bengaluru. “As a
die-hard fan of FC Goa, we are expecting a show similar to what we put up
against Bengaluru the last time we met them at our fortress, Fatorda. It’s a
great feeling for me to be a part of a big group travelling to Bengaluru and
all credit goes to Omi (Omkar H) and his team along with FC Goa and Kingfisher.
It’s always great to travel for away matches but it’s more fun when we travel
as a group. I am hoping to have a safe journey and a great match.”
