“You all don’t keep mics? I’ve already shouted for two hours, now again I have to shout here. Please arrange for a mic next time.” Somewhere in a well-lit room inside the Cooperage ground, Mumbai FC coach Santosh Kashyap cannot believe that there isn’t a mic at the post match press conference.
His side has just won a closely contested game against DSK Shivajians. The yellow brigade, as they are called by their ardent fans, won 1-0 courtesy a sublime long range effort from their midfielder, Thoi Singh. The coach was all smiles as he entered the room. But his facial expression altered within seconds. Why? Because there was no mic.
Having covered the recently concluded Indian Super League in 2016, one thing was evident during every single press conference – microphones play an integral role during media interactions. It helps the usually drained manager to sit back in a relaxed position yet get across his point from a distance – without having to raise his voice too much.
The events that transpired for 90 minutes before the memorable press conference would eventually bring us to the conclusion that I-League media interactions must have mics. I am not MF Hussain but I’ll try and paint you a decent picture.
You enter the narrow VIP entrance of the Cooperage ground, for yet another football match, which I eventually realised wasn’t even telecasted. Yet 3,200 fans were very very excited about the Maharashtra derby.
Unlike in the ISL, there are no lookalike jerseys on sale outside the ground, almost symbolic of the authentic and unadulterated voices inside the stadium. Hundred metres within the complex and I began to search for something.
“Use the female restroom, you have to use it only for 2 minutes, right?”, he asked me with a poker face that only a few could mimic on the cards table. I was hesitant but figured I’d blame him if I did get caught. So, I entered and exited like Flash and headed towards the media box.
For comparisons sake, during the ISL if you entered the Mumbai City FC stadium, 30 minutes prior to kick off, the chances of you seeing 500 fans were slim to none. It’s only 25 minutes into the game when the stadium truly looks filled to capacity.
Through the course of 90 minutes, a regular can easily predict the precise moments when the crowd would erupt – when Mumbai City FC scores a goal, when Ranbir Kapoor walks across the ground, when Pune dhol begins playing and when pointless fire crackers make themselves heard at the start.
Even with close to 8,000 fans during crunch games, the stadium goes eerily silent for large parts of the match. It’s not hard to figure out why.
A fan’s reason for supporting a football team isn’t rocket science. But it’s still extremely hard to put into words. No marquee player by himself (except Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho in his prime) can attract crowds in large numbers to the stadium.
Glance across Mumbai FC’s line-up against DSK Shivajians in the I-League, and you will see no Diego Forlan or Nicolas Anelka. But there is Steven Dias, Mumbai’s captain. Then there’s Siam Hanghal, a warrior in the middle of the park. Mumbai also have a gem in Nikhil Kadam.
Glance across Mumbai FC’s line-up against DSK Shivajians in the I-League, and you will see no Diego Forlan or Nicolas Anelka. But there is Steven Dias, Mumbai’s captain. Then there’s Siam Hanghal, a warrior in the middle of the park. Mumbai also have a gem in Nikhil Kadam.
The 22-year-old looks at ease on the wings, his first touch is immaculate and he glides across the grass.
The 3,200 fans in the stands were at work for the entire 90 minutes and more. Twenty minutes into the game, the captain Steven Dias wasn’t having the best of nights. He looked sluggish and hadn’t made a great pass or executed a well-timed tackle, but out of nowhere the fans decided to shower him with some love with chants of ‘Steven Dias’. This went on for a good 30 seconds.
His body language transformed almost immediately. He looked quicker on the ball, ran faster and covered a lot more distance with every minute passing by.
DSK Shivajians had three glorious chances to score in the first half but were unimpressive in the final third of the pitch. The men in red found it arduous to execute a string of passes, with Mumbai’s players hounding them off the ball. Half time and the home side were leading 1-0.
Fifteen minutes later, Mumbai’s faithful once again took their positions in the stands. They were itching to sing, once again.
Keeper Laxmikant Kattimani rose highest and punched away a dangerous ball heading towards goal.
At this point, Mumbai FC were truly bossing the game and the DSK were pegged back in their own half. The home side never looked perturbed in the second half. DSK attempted to mount a late comeback but Kashyap’s men absorbed a wave of attacks in the final ten minutes to secure a memorable derby victory.
The President of India’s apex football body Praful Patel recently spoke about the imminent merger between the ISL and I-League.
I have my doubts and frankly, I don’t see any merger happening at least this year. I cannot understand why it is constantly being touted as ‘I-League merging with ISL’? Why can we not say that the ISL might merge with the I-League?Praful Patel
Whatever transpires, one thing is for sure. For a merger to happen, both leagues need to be treated with equal respect. The AIFF can begin by providing mics during I-League press conferences.
(The match between Mumbai FC and DSK Shivajians was held on 8 January)
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