Fans look to reunite as doors open to spectators for ISL final

The clash between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC is the first match since March 8, 2020 where fans are being allowed to return to the stadium

Excitement, anticipation and desperation – these were just some of the emotions that Indian football fans went through after the announcement that Indian Super League's finale match in Goa would be open to supporters.

The clash at the summit between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC is the first match since March 8, 2020 where fans are being allowed into the stadium. In less than a week of the announcement, the tickets – a 100 per cent capacity crowd – for the final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao were sold out.

Many fans have already descended on Goan shores, regardless of whether they have a ticket and come Sunday will submerge the otherwise empty Fatorda Stadium in a sea of yellow.

For Basith, a Blasters supporter since the club's inception, Sunday's match is an opportunity to reunite with fellow fans — often a second family for many — and end the frustration of not being able to watch the men in yellow in the same city.

"It was so sad that we couldn't even meet the players because they were not playing in the same city. Even though they are playing exceptionally well, we could not support them from the stands. This moment is what we were eagerly waiting for," he said, onboard a train to Margao.

Another fan who supported Hyderabad since its disastrous debut season in 2019—where it finished bottom of the league, to reach the finals two seasons later—being able to watch the match from the stands enables re-establishing a physical bond with the players.

"The reception from the players (when we went to away games in Goa, Chennai, Bengaluru and other places) was amazing. It was not just like you were going to see a game. The players treated you as a part of their family. You felt that you were one family who was going for it together," Hitesh said.

Hyderabad's squad and manager have since then changed. "Even though we do not have such a personal connection anymore, online, the bond is still there. The players still probably love the fans as much as the fans love them," he said, hours before heading to Goa.

Such is the desperation and yearning for watching the league matches that as soon as finalists were decided, fan clubs of the respective teams immediately reached out to supporters of clubs that lost the play-offs hoping to secure tickets they no longer needed. Some, like Hyderabad supporter Amarthya, were lucky enough to win a ticket from the club in a contest.

For a club with a support base Kerala Blasters enjoys, it is impossible to pack lakhs of fans into a stadium that seats 19,000. The club and its official fan base, Manjappada, have organised fan parks across the state for the play-off match against Jamshedpur FC, drawing in thousands of supporters. Videos from various locations were a reminder of the mind-boggling support that the club draws—perhaps second only to Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Many fans are said to be coming to the fan park outside the JLN stadium in Kochi to watch the final.

Hyderabad, too, had arranged fan parks in the city, drawing in a sizeable crowd. A win for the mere three-year-old side will not just be a boost for Indian players that form its core but also football in Hyderabad, whose police team – Hyderabad Police – was once an Indian football powerhouse in the 1950s. Their campaign so far has already created a buzz in the city and victory could further increase their support base.

Blasters, third-time entrants into the finals, hope to get lucky and bring home the elusive silverware. On a day they need it most, Kerala can draw inspiration from its fans, who are expected to fill up 70-80 per cent of the stadium as opposed to Hyderabad's 300.

Sunday's clash not only marks the end of what has been the most exciting ISL season yet. It also marks the culmination of silent stadiums, simulated crowd noise and the return of football as it should be – with fans, banners, tifos and raw emotion.

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