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It is derby fever once again as the two iconic clubs of Indian football prepare for another feisty affair. To call the Kolkata derby a ‘big match’ is a sheer understatement. It is more than a football match; there is much more at stake than points and position. In fact, if recent history is any guide, it stops just short of being an out-and-out battle. At the end of the match, not a single soul cares about what tactics were employed, who played the better football, decisions for and against. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is who won.
As the ‘boro’ match looms large, you can feel the buzz around the city. The City of Joy is divided into its colours. The allegiance of the mass shifts from their respective political parties to their football teams. Tongues start wagging, tensions start rising. There is no such thing as ‘caught in between’. You’re either red and gold, or green and maroon.
Standing near Yuva Bharati Krirangan hours before kick-off, you start getting the feeling that half the city is descending onto the stadium. The unfortunate fanatics who couldn’t make it to the stadium are already stationed in front of the TV in their home or para-club. The build-up to the match has started in the channels covering the match. Eminent footballing personalities offer their pre-match views and insights. All in all, you get the feeling you’re about to witness a football match as big as any in world football. How the I-league organisers must be wishing every match in the league was a Kolkata derby!
Regular followers of the I-league are perhaps more acclimatised to seeing near-empty stadiums. A murmur goes around the ground as chances are created, and maybe you’ll hear a little clapping and subdued cheering as the net bolts. Almost like a tennis crowd at Wimbledon.
Forget the mass; even the media seems uninterested in the affairs. There is no pre-match show, and the coverage of the match is dull in itself. The commentator tries his best to exude excitement but hardly anyone is watching at home anyway. A few cameramen position themselves behind the goal-lines to earn their money, knowing they’ll be lucky if a picture is at all published in the newspaper the following day.
It is safe to claim that the coverage of I-league matches is not the most popular 2 hours on telly. Apart from a few avid followers, the rest are happy to read the post-match review (which is devoid of intricate details) in the newspaper the following day. Mainstream media is hardly concerned with the happenings in the domestic league. As weekends come calling, the Barclays Premier League almost seems like the domestic league!
It is not like there are no other derbies of footballing significance in the I-league. With the clubs from Goa doing so well in recent years, you would expect the Panjim derby between Dempo and Sporting Club to be an affair of significant interest; or any other match between 2 clubs from Goa for that matter. But despite Goa proving to be the new breeding ground for Indian football, there seems to be a lack of interest in the I-league altogether in the state; dealing a big blow to the prospect of spreading the popularity of the beautiful game in the nation.
Things look more promising in the north-east as the match between Shillong Lajong and Sikkim United seems to be gaining popularity. Both the clubs are pretty new and hence there’s a long way to go before the North-East derby becomes a subject of national interest. The other 2 clubs from Kolkata viz. Pailan Arrows and Prayag United understandably struggle to generate a fan-base and even local interest, as the city was already divided between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan before the inception of these clubs.
In recent years, Dempo has come up as the most consistent force in the I-league. Churchill and Salgaocar have also had their moments. With the battle for superiority in the domestic league not restricted to the Kolkata powerhouses anymore, it was expected that the matches between the teams from Kolkata and Goa would generate national interest. The interest however, remained squarely on paper.
The stadiums continue to attract hundreds instead of the thousands anticipated. The media coverage of the I-league remains uninteresting and cursory. The relevance of I-league in the minds of the football lovers seems to be sinking into oblivion.
And then comes along a Kolkata derby. Suddenly, football lovers in the country sit up and take notice. The I-league becomes relevant again. Irrespective of where you reside in the nation, this is one football match that cannot escape your attention. The Salt Lake stadium hosts capacity crowd (or more) and the atmosphere inside the stadium reaches fever pitch. The mainstream media pours onto the scene to cover what seems like a spectacle to behold like no other. TV coverage is spiced up to keep the viewers tuned in with all their interest. The newspapers fill out entire pages in an effort to give as copious an account as possible of this showpiece event.
A packed Salt Lake stadium on derby day.
For a precious few days, European football takes a backseat in India. It is all about the Kolkata derby. Despite the fair share of controversy and security concern that comes with a Kolkata derby, the I-league organisers are found smacking their lips in delight as the match draws closer. They know for sure that this match will take television revenues and stadium gate receipts to an unparalleled high. Far more important is the fact that Indian football will find new admirers and perhaps add that bit more impetus to the development of football in the country.
The I-league has failed to improve the popularity of domestic football in the country substantially. The prospect of media coverage itself is hanging by a thread. Despite all its efforts, the stadiums continue to draw meagre crowd. If not for a precious few key encounters, the importance of I-league as a national tournament seems void. It is in times like these of dwindling optimism, that a match like the Kolkata derby plants hope of a possibly brighter future for the popularity of domestic football amongst the football lovers in the country.
Every Kolkata derby brings with it a plethora of emotions that every big sporting spectacle around the world hopes to offer. And the I-league organisers must be wishing every moment that more matches of such national interest come up in the near future. For the time being though, the Kolkata derby seems to be the only notable lifeline for the I-league.
