8 ways to prove that you are a Football Fan

Football is something that has united fans across the globe. In a country like India where football is not the primary sport, you have to do certain things to show the world that you are following the beautiful game. If you are a true football fan irrespective of the club/country you follow, you would have done at least five out of the eight things listed below.

You know all the players your team has had over the past decade!

This is no easy feat especially if you are following club football.

Even top teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United change players so often that it is virtually impossible to remember all of them. But, if you are a true fan, you will know the Djemba-Djembas as well as the Gary Nevilles

You lie to your girlfriend/boss to watch the game

This is something that we all do. A friend of mine once said that having a girlfriend who follows football is his life long dream and so is the case for numerous football fans. Cricket takes place mostly in daylight and the whole country knows about it. So, you don’t have to lie to catch a cricket game.

But, you sure have to lie a lot to catch a Champions League game or an early kick-off in the league. How many times have you lied about a medical emergency to your boss just to catch the game?

You own customized merchandise

I have Manchester United cups, wallet, towels, keychains, the TREBLE DVD and loads of other stuff in my home. Every fan irrespective of the team he is supporting must have some merchandise that will show the world that he is a football fan.

You can host a TV show better than Andrew Leci and Steve McManaman

How many times have you gone like “Aaarh” watching these so called pundits talk absolute crap? I know football fans who release podcasts week after week that are much better than these talk shows.

Most football fans know the strengths, weaknesses, squad depth and positions of their team from top to bottom. I bet most of them will host a better TV show than these “experts”

You play Football Manager for at least 2 hours/day

Believe me, two hours/day is a very low number. Normal fans play FIFA, true fans play FM. Often I find my friends asking me “you are not even playing in this thing. It’s like a freaking software, why the heck do you play it then?”

To answer that question, you have to be a Football fan. Football Manager is the second best thing in the world of a football fan only seconded by watching football.

So, if you know Kyriakos Papadopoulos or Souleymane Coulibaly, you surely belong in this category.

You watch the game with your fellow fans

It is impossible for fans in India to watch the games from the stadiums in England week in week out and so we have found the next best thing.

My friends in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai have formed Manchester United Fan Clubs which screen live games in bars and restaurants where fellow Mancs get together and have a blast. The culture is continuing in many cities and other club supporters too are screening in large numbers.

So, if you watch the game with other eccentric fans drinking and cursing your opponents, you belong here.

You don’t expect Lionel Messi to sign with your team

Transfer season is a period where true fans are differentiated from pretenders. If you want your team to sign Lionel Messi, then you are not even a normal fan, you are delusional. A true fan will understand the transfer philosophy of his manager and team. A true fan will never glory hunt and he will expect plausible transfers.

You stay with your team through thick and thin

This is why I have utmost respect for Arsenal and Liverpool fans. Both the teams haven’t won a trophy in almost half a decade and still, you don’t see their fans supporting other teams.

If you are a fan, you should be loyal to your team. You should support your team through thick and thin. Celebrating victories is not important. Keeping your chin up through defeats is what counts the most.

So, do you do atleast five out of the eight things listed above? If yes, welcome to the club or else, begin doing these things.