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It is never a quiet occasion when Manchester United roll into town, and if the name of the town is Kolkata, one can be certain that the party won’t stop till the dawn. The Mecca of Indian Football is playing host to #ILOVEUNITED, a fan outreach and connect programme which is organised by the club.
So far, it has happened in India thrice, twice in Mumbai and once in Bangalore. The Calcutta event is the fourth of its kind in the country, and credit goes to the Kolkata Manchester United Supporter’s Club for managing to bring it to the city.
The supporter’s club, which was founded in 2011 and was officially recognised by Manchester United in 2015, has been bringing together fans from the city in particular, and from the state of Bengal in general, for years now. This event, which is only organized in cities that have an official fan club, has been the culmination of years of hard work.
According to KMUSC President Soumya Dasgupta, “This has been a brilliant achievement. Me and my team have been working very hard, and it is good to know that our efforts have been recognised finally.”
The United team checked into the city on 8th December, and has already conducted a stream of activities since then. There have been meet-and-greet activities between the United legends(which includes club ambassador Dwight Yorke and former players Quinton Fortune and Bojan Djordjic), and One United members.
MUTV has been conducting interviews featuring fans while Chevrolet, the sponsors, had organized an interaction session with the players and the staff and some lucky fans.
Saturday will see a host of activities as well, starting off with an open ask-me-anything session at the South City Mall, one of the city’s most popular destinations. The weekend will culminate in a live screening of an eagerly awaited clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Before that, however, a special 3v3 tournament will be organised by Manchester United Soccer Schools which will also see the 3 former Red Devils participate in. Besides these, there will be loads of other surprises, including lucky draws, quizzes, photography contests and an FA Cup special event which will be jointly organized by KMUSC and Adidas.
With winter starting to settle in the city, the supporters are already buzzing. For many of them, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see their club up, close and personal. The atmosphere is charged up, and one hopes that the team can translate the enthusiasm on the pitch as well.
The I Love United fan party kicks off at the East Bengal stadium on 11th December from 2 pm onwards.
Find more updates regarding the event on KMUSC’s official FB page: https://www.facebook.com/manutdkolkata/
