Indian football has once again been stirred by the attendance at Manjeri, as the people in the small town in Malappuram have welcomed Federation Cup with all passion and fervour. From the very beginning of the tournament, the stadium with a capacity of 15,000 spectators is jampacked with official estimate of about 20,000 people coming on an average to watch the matches.
This is the first time that a national tournament is being played at Manjeri and football fans have kept the hopes of the organisers about tournament’s success. The coaches of various teams are happy to see the number of people turning up for each match despite the lack in proper travel and accommodation facilities. “It is great to watch this many people coming to watch a match. These are the places where you have to develop the game. Though the training was haphazard and players complained about the floodlights, the atmosphere was awesome,” said Arthur Papas, the coach of Dempo SC, after a post match press conference.
“This was always the trend even during my times when I was playing. I have seen people climbing on floodlights just to watch a game. The same fervour is still alive and it is astonishing. You should understand that it is when there is no home team playing. People are coming to the stadium just to watch a match of a Bengal team or Goa team,” says Rangdajied United FC’s coach Santhosh Kashyap.
Even if most of the matches did not satisfy the expectations of the gathering, each day the number is only on the rise. National coach Wim Koeverman was a lot surprised to see the crowd when he visited Manjeri. “Witnessing a bleak turn out at Kochi, it was more than what he had expected to see at Manjeri.”
Most of the people are also eager to get more games for the venue. The success of the Federation Cup once again proves that the desire for quality football has never dried up in Malabar.
