Missing stars, unhappy fans

Bengaluru Royals defeat Mumbai Warriors 6-2 in opener

It was billed as Ryan Giggs versus Paul Scholes tie. Two of the decorated legends of Manchester United and prolific players from the ‘Class of 92’ going head-to-head.

But on Tuesday, when Bengaluru Royals recorded a comfortable 6-2 win over Mumbai Warriors in their Premier Futsal League fixture, neither of the two players was present at the Koramangala indoor stadium.

It was learnt that former United stalwarts, who arrived in the city on Tuesday morning were tired and decided to skip the game.

For the hosts of United fans who turned up with the only hope of seeing their much celebrated idols go up against each other, the evening ended on a disappointing note.

“(Seeing Scholes of Bengaluru take on Giggs of Mumbai) It was the only reason I came for this game,” said Deepika, an IT professional.

“For years I saw them play on TV, and today was the day I thought I would finally see them in action, but looks like it was to remain a dream,” she added.

While a number of United fans from the city made up for the sparsely crowded indoor stadium here, there were a few who also travelled from places like Chennai and Hyderabad to see the two United stars in action.

“I came down from Hyderabad for this game alone. I reached today morning and I have a train to catch later in the evening,” said Kishore, who works as a receptionist at a hotel in Hyerabad. “I feel cheated. I spent Rs 2000 on the ticket alone. Add my travel and other expenses to it, and I get nothing for it,” he stated.

With the tickets being priced between Rs 1000 to Rs 10,000 it was no surprise that the fans were left to rue their decision. All the attempts to contact Dinesh Raj, managing director, Premier Futsal went in vain.

Result: Bengaluru Royals: 6 bt Mumbai Warriors: 2