What it means to be a Premier League fan from India

Manchester City was established in 1894 in East Manchester, 8173 km from where I'm located right now. I've never set foot in Manchester or even the UK, yet root for this club with all the passion I can muster, sometimes at odd hours in the night, annoying the hell out of my parents. That's the beauty of football and fandom. You are indoctrinated for life. 

The Premier League was first broadcast in India in 2001 and is thus far the most popular league football competition in India. Since then, big Premier League clubs have experienced enormous growth and the subcontinent is now one of the biggest global markets for the league. Major cities have dedicated fan clubs, affiliated with the parent club, which fosters a sense of community among fans. Millions have grown up watching their favourite teams play on television, never having had the chance to catch the action live.

For historical reasons, football is not the cultural phenomenon that cricket is in India. Because not everyone follows the game (all mentions of football here refer to Premier League/European football. The disparity in following for Indian football, merits a separate discussion), fans across the board share a special bond, irrespective of whom they support. A Manchester City fan can be the best of friends with a Manchester United fan and it wouldn’t feel unnatural. Whenever the discussion turns to football, we are loyal ambassadors for our clubs, dipping into our knowledge of facts and figures to justify its superiority over the other. We are knights in shining armour, of either blue or red, resolved to protect the dignity of our clubs against rival fan ridicule. But the rivalry is never the overriding theme making its presence felt constantly between us. 

The club based model of European football, unlike cricket which is predominantly countries playing each other, (With the IPL being only played for 2 months a year, my CSK fandom is activated only for those 60 odd days) has created an ecosystem that thrives on loyal support, fan banter, and opinionated discussions. This is best illustrated by how fans refer to their favorite teams, it's always We or Our. “WE played horribly today” or “OUR squad needs some fresh legs”. I can’t think of any other situation in which I assume this level of ownership without a direct role or real stakes involved.

Although sport had been a constant presence in my life, naturally cricket was my first obsession. Football came only later. To be honest, I was and am an embarrassment with the ball on my feet, but that never curbed my appetite for the beautiful game as a fan. As an introvert, sport was the biggest outlet for me to interact with people in high school. Football opened up new worlds for me. And Manchester City became the object of my dormant passions. While I don't recall the exact moment I got on the City bandwagon, (THE Aguero moment happened a few years before, unfortunately for me) it was their style of play and flair in attack that impressed me most. And the dramatic run-in to the 2013-14 Premier League title sealed the deal. I was a Cityzen. For life.

My personal favourite Man City moment is the 2-1 win against Liverpool in the 2018/19 season. A loss would have effectively ended our title aspirations. That night is clearly etched in my memory, as I was watching the game alone in my hostel room. I was personally going through a rough patch at that time. A crucial victory achieved in such thrilling fashion, summed up by John Stones' goal-line clearance (13 mm short of goal), lifted my spirits, if at least temporarily. 

These are moments that bring to the fore a deeper meaning, beyond mere entertainment value, an allegiance to a sporting franchise can evoke. A sea of blue in the stadium willing the team on was positively goosebumps inducing. Leading the charge was Bernardo Silva, who played his heart out, pressing relentlessly, sending in cross after cross, and keeping me on the edge of my seat. Watching a game like this live at the Etihad Stadium would be a dream come true. 

The closest I've come to experiencing a matchday atmosphere was during a City vs Chelsea match screening by the Bengaluru Cityzens – a Man City supporters club in Bangalore. The room was jam packed with fans. Everyone was buzzing with excitement. Although I didn't exchange more than a few words with anyone that evening, I felt I belonged there. The light blue shirts outnumbered the dark blues ones comprehensively. Their chants of Jorginho...Jorginho...Jorginho was outmatched by our boisterous screams of Algeriaaa...Algeriaaa...Algeriaaa…(For Riyad Mahrez).

And at the final whistle, our team having outclassed theirs, the jubilation I felt are the things to live for. Oldham or Indiranagar, the feeling is the same. Northwest England or South India the feeling is the same. C’mon City!