More is less for fans

Across the world, the football fever is on. But the shops in the City have a different story to tell

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There aren’t many places in the heart of the City selling football jerseys and merchandise, apart from the exclusive branded stores and a few local shops on Brigade Road.

The limited choices have left the fans disappointed.

Syed, the owner of Rockband store, has been catering to customers regularly.

“Among those coming over to purchase, 80 per cent are youngsters. We have jerseys of top countries like Spain, Germany, Brazil and Argentina,” says Syed. He adds, “Most people wants jerseys with pictures of Ozil, Henriquel, Xavi and Ronaldo.”

“Youngsters who flock to our stores these days wants only football merchandise. So we have jerseys, full-track suits, keychains and cups. The top-selling jerseys are that of Neymar, David Villa, Ozil, Rolando and Messi,” informs Zuhain Masood, owner, La Bamba.

Looks like jerseys are the only thing related to football being sold this season, unlike last year, when there were other merchandise too.

Abdul Ameer, who owns Ezey on Church Street, says, “People who come to buy
jerseys are from every age group. They ask for jerseys of their favourite players
and the country they represent. They feel bad if we don’t have their idol’s jersey. But we can sell only what we get from our dealers. We are disappointed that we can’t fulfil the demands of the customers.”

Joshua SN, a professional, adds, “There are morejerseys of the clubs than
that of World Cup players. I’m planning on getting a jersey of the French team. It’s sad that even the online shopping sites are not selling them. So except for the brands, no one is selling them here except a few shops on Brigade Road. I hope things improve once the matches begin.”

He goes on, “The people who follow football regularly in the City are not much. I guess that’s why this time, there isn’t any hype about it. For example, CSI compound and National Games Village have their clubs. So maybe in and around these areas, you might find some shops selling jerseys with pictures of the players.”

The branded ones on the other hand are overpriced for the common man.

“As a true football fan, you should go in for the branded ones. One can’t stop non-branded shirts and merchandise from coming out. There will always be some places in the City selling these,” adds Nahash Gerald,a professional.