Football fans in Bengaluru ready to unfurl 3,300 sq ft banner, soak in thrill of India-Pakistan clash in SAFF Championship

West Block Blues, the fan group of city-based Bengaluru FC, is set to unveil a community banner to extend its support for Indian football. About 40-50 fans from the group gathered at the stadium on Sunday to participate in the community banner painting event hosted by the West Block Blues, a practice since 2013, when Bengaluru FC was formed.

Karan Prasad, a fan, said, “We have been following this practice since 2013. We started with small banners. However, with the Indian team improving its Fifa ranking (101 now) and winning the Intercontinental Cup have given the fans an impetus to celebrate the football team with much grandeur. The handmade banner is about 3,300 sq feet, symbolising Indian football’s pride.” When India played Guam in a World Cup qualifier in 2015, the fans displayed a banner of 5,500 sq ft with the message: “The road is long, belief is everything. Stand for Indian Football”.

Prasad added, “Bengaluru is a sporting city which loves cricket, hockey, football and other sports. The Indian football team has not played in Bengaluru for a long time. Hence, this match has got the millennials excited. In football, while 70 per cent of the crowd are recurring fans, 30 per cent are newcomers. With the Asian Cup slated next year, fans see this as preparation for the major tournament.”

Amol Gamre, a member of West Block Blues, said, “The mood among the football fans is great. The national team is coming to India after a long time, and considering the opponents, we are in for a grand ceremony. Initiatives like the community banner painting and spreading the word among non-football fans about the game are essential to strengthen the support of the Indian football team. Inspired by European culture, the community banner painting is an idea to show support and stand with the playing 11 and the extended team for their hard work. It is important to bridge the gap and draw more sporting fans to the game to make a difference in Indian football.”

Another fan Syed Waseem said India would beat Pakistan, ranked 195 in the world, hands down, given the gulf in quality. Some fan group members also added that in the coming days, they wish to see the club mobilise the football and other sports fans and organise outreach programmes to engage more people in essential world tournaments.

Though the Pakistan squad’s arrival in Bengaluru has been delayed due to a visa issue, it is expected to reach by Monday night. Besides India and Pakistan, Kuwait and Nepal are the other two teams in Group A. Lebanon, Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh make up Group B.