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Every once in not-so-long a while, I hear or read fans describe Chelsea as ‘a plastic club supported by plastic fans, waving plastic flags’. Although I can’t necessarily disagree with the non-eco-friendly flags, I couldn’t help but question the rest of the statement. Maybe it’s slightly inspired because of the fact that I’ve been a Chelsea fan for close to a decade. Or maybe not. Anyway, below is one of the better definitions I’ve come across for a plastic fan:
A plastic fan is that fan who will make the most noise if your team wins the league title, pledging unfailing allegiance to the team……
…but if your team loses a match or fails to win something, they will vilify the club, players, manager and even the ground.
With new financial superpowers like Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain and Anzhi cropping up, any fledgling fan’s allegiance to them is deemed to be plastic. I must admit that the reason I started supporting Chelsea all those years ago is because I saw a certain Hernan Crespo, a Frank Lampard and an Eidur Gudjohnsen stand up and match an Arsenal side who were made up mostly of the legendary Invincibles. It’s probably moments or matches like these that have created the 20-odd million Indian Manchester United fan base.
At the outset, it seems difficult to stack up us Asian fans with those owning season tickets and hollering their hearts out week after week for the entire ninety. As passionately as we do follow our football clubs, it is a little far-fetched to compare the all- knowing Indian Arsenal fan with a true gooner, who, brought up in a family of Arsenal fans, has it in his DNA to compulsively despise Spurs. That being said, there are scores of fans here back home and across Asia for whom the difference between a great and crappy day is the outcome of ninety minutes in front of the tele.
So, back to the plastic fan. Who is one? Going by popular definition, is it a supporter of cash rich clubs like Chelsea or City? Or is it one who supports an always winning team like United or Barcelona? Can we categorise fans as plastic depending on the football club they support? Surely, that wouldn’t seem right.
Perhaps a plastic fan is one who’s more interested in squabbles off the field than skills on it. Maybe it’s one who blames the referee for a loss while failing to acknowledge the more intricate details. Maybe it’s one who’s forced to follow and like the sport just due to peer pressure and in order to look cool. Maybe, just maybe, it’s one who doesn’t show enough respect when due.
