By IANS
Kozhikode : This Kerala city is mad about football, but it does not show on the stands any more. The crowds have thinned.
“Earlier, there used to be long queues at the ticket counter. People used to come as early as 4 a.m. to book a seat. I just walked in and purchased my ticket,” says 67-year-old K. Balachandran, who was at the Corporation Stadium to watch an I-League (Indian premier league) tie between Viva Kerala and Salgaocar Goa Saturday.
“The quality of the game has declined. People watch European football on television every day. It is reason enough for one to become disillusioned with the kind of football played here,” says Balachandran.
Balachandran is right as the first I-League game here brought only 7,000 to the stadium, which can seat 50,000 spectators.
However, secretary of Kozhikode District Football Association (KDFA) A.M. Najeeb is optimistic. “In this match, we mopped up Rs.110,000 through sale of tickets at the gate. But the important thing is that Viva Kerala won the game. This is a victory people wanted. Now we expect a steady increase in spectators,” he said.
“We will host eight more I-League games, to be held at intervals, through March next year. We expect a good crowd if Viva performs well,” Najeeb exuded confidence.
The slide in the craze for the local game also may have something to do with the absence of regular events. “Earlier, Sait Nagjee national tournament was a regular feature. The last Nagjee tournament was held nearly 10 years ago,” Najeeb said.
“Ten years ago, KDFA used to organise tournaments regularly. It is not so any more because organising a tournament of that scope requires Rs.30 million. It’s a risky affair. Now, we only host tournaments sanctioned by the Kerala Football Association and the All India Football Federation,” Najeeb said.
“For the I-League matches, KDFA spends only on refreshments and local transport of players. All other things are being taken care of by the sponsor, the ONGC,” he said.
Lack of infrastructure is another problem. The floodlights at the Corporation Stadium have been in disrepair for long. “If the lights are installed, the matches can be scheduled for late evenings. This will bring in good crowd. We can even bring foreign teams,” Najeeb said.