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A recent report by TAM Media research claims that the Euro 2012 tournament’s viewership in India has increased by 25% compared to previous edition in 2008. The craze for football in Nagpur has also grown by leaps and bounds. It all started with theUEFA Champion’s League last year (Sept. 2011 – May 2012). And the ongoing Euro cup 2012 (9 June- 1 July) has the youngsters glued on to their TV sets. And now they are eagerly looking forward to Barclays Premiere League (Aug 2012- May 2013) to commence. No wonder, night long telly rendezvous, betting on favourite teams, celebrations, getting their team’s merchandise and sporting the hairstyles favoured by their fave stars are the norms of the season. We tell you about this football frenzy…
Raising a toast!
Football freaks of Nagpur are going all out when it comes to expressing their joy. Soon after the victory of their favourite team, they come out on streets to celebrate it. Qamar Khan, a B.Com student, says, “When Chelsea won the finals of the champions league last month, we were so damn happy that all my friends ran for kilometres in the Dharampeth area, wearing just our boxers, at 4.30 am.”Hitesh Nimsarkar, an entrepreneur, believes in a different kind of celebration. “I and my friends celebrate such moments with beer bottles in our hands. And soon after that, we scoot to enjoy our fave food – ‘tapri ka poha, jalebi’.
Girls going gaga
It’s not just guys, who are gung-ho about football. Now, Nagpur gals are equally excited about it. The city girls are updated with the match schedules and are awake till late night to watch the matches. Shreeya Agwan, a student of LAD College, says, “I totally disagree when people say that football is a men’s game. I watch all the matches and my personal favourite is Team Portugal.”
Samruddhi Chaple, an architecture student, says, “I am really busy with my college work, and yet I try not to miss the matches of my favourite teams.”
Following the icon
Nagpur youngsters are not just watching the football matches, they are also buying the merchandise depicting their favourite footballers and teams. Sudha Gandhi, the owner of a city gift shop, says, “Since last year, there is an increase in the sale of merchandises related to football. We have regular customers who come to purchase stickers, key chains, wallets etc. of their favourite teams.” And this is not all! The youngsters are so crazy about the footballers that they try to copy their hairstyles too. Sanjeev Singh, the hairstylist of a salon, says, “Many guys approach us for a haircut similar to one of the footballers. Recently a guy came to our salon and said that he wanted the exact hairstyle of Lionel Messi. Even we enjoy attending to such football enthusiasts.”
Virtual mania!
This football rage is not merely confined to actual world; it has spread its wings in the virtual world too. They spend the nights watching the matches on TV, and in the daytime they play games on their comps. Kartik Rao, an engineering student, says, “I am an absolute football freak. I and my friend, not only watch the tournament on TV, but we also enjoy this wonderful FIFA game on our laptops.” Another football lover, Prasann Dangi, says, “We are addicted to football games on PCs, and we have also named each other after our fave players.”
Source – Times of India
