ISL 2017-18: Empty seats throng Delhi Dynamos’ first match of the season

It was a sea of sky blue in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. But that is not because the spectators were wearing the dominant colour. Sky blue is the colour of the seats in the JLN.

About half an hour before the match started, one would have been forgiven for thinking that it was being played behind closed doors.

‘Sea of fans’ is a common phrase used to describe spectators in a stadium. Usually, this term is used along with the most common colour of the jerseys that is being worn. For example, the Kerala Blasters’ fans love to call themselves the Yellow Sea.

On Saturday, the Indian Super League touched down in the national capital. It was a sea of sky blue in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium with a few scattered islands of the darker version of the colour and white. But that is not because the spectators were wearing the dominant colour. Sky blue is the colour of the seats in the JLN. Empty, lifeless seats that made the atmosphere in the stadium slightly better than what it was a day before the match. That was when the only people in the stadium were those preparing it for the match.

About half an hour before the match started, one would have been forgiven for thinking that it was being played behind closed doors, similar to the Spanish league match that Barcelona played in the aftermath of the Catalan independence vote. But the doors and the box office were wide open in New Delhi and so were the online booking portals.

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The stadium announcer said that the 11,453 people had come to watch the match. A walk around the stadium before and after the match would tell you that most of these were supporters of the away team. There is no surprise in this – NorthEast United always attract a large number of fans in Delhi. This was also apparent when the first goal went in. It was NorthEast United that scored and it felt like they were playing in their own stadium.

During the Under-17 World Cup, Delhi had shown that it was not indifferent to football. It was a World Cup and it had India in it. Quality football was on offer and there was the added attraction of seeing an Indian team square off against the world’s best, even if it is only on an age-group level. The matches themselves helped the World Cup’s cause even further and also overshadowed some of the inconveniences that came with watching a match at the JLN stadium.

During the team’s jersey launch, the Delhi Dynamos hierarchy had said numerous times that they were hoping excitement generated by the Under-17 World Cup would help crowds throng the stadium during the ISL. But that wasn’t the case on Saturday.

The match can hardly be compared to any Under-17 World Cup games that were played there in October. There were defenders losing balls for showing too much of it to their opponents and the latter losing the ball for trying to do too much. Players didn’t know, in some cases didn’t seem to even care, the positions of their teammates. Shots were being taken as soon as attackers reached anywhere near the box. Goalkeepers were just booting the ball upfield. The second goal was conceded by the Dynamos through a goalkeeping mistake that can qualify as slapstick comedy. The match, as is the case with nearly all ISL matches, showcased the worst of football.

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With all this going on downstairs, fans in those scattered islands in the sky blue sea took to sitting around just as they would sit on a train while waiting for their station to arrive. Only they seemed to be waiting for the final whistle more than anything else. Some were blowing into their hooters just to entertain themselves. The respective fan clubs of the two franchises made the biggest and the loudest island and they were placed conveniently where the cameras would pan so that the stadium didn’t look as empty or lifeless as it was.

There was one island in which spectators more intrigued by a person among them making what can best be described as monkey screams. Towards the end of the match, the man would stand up after making a series of screams and that the spectators would applaud. He had managed to do in less than two hours what the Dynamos haven’t been able to in four years – form a bond with the fans.

It was a sea of sky blue in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. But that is not because the spectators were wearing the dominant colour. Sky blue is the colour of the seats in the JLN.

Fans being able to identify with their clubs and players that play for them is one of the most important aspects of club-level football. This is something that was there for all to see when thousands screamed from the stands as Aizawl FC beat Mohun Bagan in a decisive I-League match last season. Visibility was very poor throughout the match but the fans stayed on, knowing that a win there would seal the title for them. The following enjoyed by East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Kolkata is also based on a relationship that has grown over generations.

What could be seen on Saturday was an example of the failure of Delhi Dynamos in forming any relationship with the people of the city. But what the Dynamos have failed to do is also something that is pretty much common across the ISL. They may have brought people to the stands but the ISL clubs have struggled to generate followers who would come to the stadium to cheer for them every week. Legendary Scottish manager Jock Stein had said that the fans “are the lifeblood of the game.” The ISL, in Delhi at least, felt a little anaemic.