{"id":3997,"date":"2024-01-15T10:35:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T00:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=3997"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T04:58:10","slug":"drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Drums for Dreams: India&#8217;s growing love affair with football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 id=\"just-half-an-hour-before-india-s-match-against-australia-kicked-off-faisal-was-still-casting-around-for-a-ticket-in-the-tepid-doha-heat-outside-of-the-ahmad-bin-ali-stadium-it-seemed-like-a-strenuous-task-especially-for-an-asian-cup-match\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Just half an hour before India\u2019s match against Australia kicked off, Faisal was still casting around for a ticket. In the tepid Doha heat outside of the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, it seemed like a strenuous task, especially for an Asian Cup match.&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moments before, Faisal dispersed from an organised section \u2013 draped in blue and shades of yellow \u2013 as they drummed and sang in unison. By now <em>Qatar Manjappada <\/em>\u2013 the country\u2019s chapter of the famed Kerala Blasters supporters group \u2013 has established itself as the beating heart of footballing events in Doha. That elevates when the <em>Blue Tigers<\/em> come to town.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was a part of the <em>Manjappada<\/em> in Kerala,\u201d Faisal says as he tries to leverage that and his t-shirt to get a ticket. \u201cI have the tickets for the next two matches, but I cannot miss out on this one.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he is not alone. Earnest Francis, one of the drum-bearers for the crew has been busy dealing with ticket requests as much as he is busy organising the mass as they head into the stadium. The group will chant and make up for the most vibrant section in the match as well as for the rest of India\u2019s games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt has been a busy day,\u201d he says as the members pack a large Indian flag as people gather to capture photos of the group. \u201cIndia are playing a World Cup side, which is a big occasion. The excitement is at a different level today.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Doha?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Doha<\/a> is absolutely \ud835\udc01\ud835\udc14\ud835\udc19\ud835\udc19\ud835\udc08\ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc06 ahead of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AUSvIND<\/a>! \ud83e\udd41\u26a1<br><br>Watch the match LIVE only on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JioCinema?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JioCinema<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Sports18?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Sports18<\/a> at 5 PM today! \ud83d\udcfa<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/BlueTigers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BlueTigers<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AsianCup2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AsianCup2023<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/BackTheBlue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BackTheBlue<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/IndianFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IndianFootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AsianDream?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AsianDream<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IndianFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IndianFootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/qatarmanjappada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@qatarmanjappada<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/80HqH2z54U\">pic.twitter.com\/80HqH2z54U<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IndSuperLeague\/status\/1746102292796121579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"growing-interest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Growing interest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Things in Doha, however, were not always this way for the Indian national team. Qualifying for the continental championship after 27 long years, some 9000 fans attended Australia\u2019s 4-0 drubbing of India in the 2011 Asian Cup. Despite a third of Qatar\u2019s population being expatriates from India, the national team was not as much celebrated even inside India, less so amongst the non-residential population.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A crowd of 36,000 strong on Saturday with a mix of people from all backgrounds and walks of life hints at a shift. Indian football has come a long way since that defeat 13 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The inauguration of the Indian Super League in 2014 coincided with the development of a new crop of players, and the first back-to-back Asian Cup qualifications in history has fostered interest in a national team that has always struggled to build identity under cricket\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was apparent at the SAFF Championships played last year in Bangalore\u2019s Sree Kanteerava Stadium. More than 20,000 turned up to watch India lift South Asia\u2019s premier competition for a record ninth time \u2013 defeating invitational sides Lebanon and Kuwait along the way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a crowd of that magnitude might not seem much for a country of 1.4 billion, even this looked distant a decade ago, despite being a force in the sub-continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indian captain Sunil Chhetri has been omnipresent to see and craft it all \u2013 from playing in empty stadiums to becoming a de-facto home team in Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Feels like a festival at the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AsianCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AsianCup<\/a> today \u2013 Indian fans are flocking to the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in numbers and I\u2019ve quite frankly never seen the Doha Metro this crowded except for the World Cup. <br><br>Home advantage definitely there for the Blue Tigers. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#India<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#INDvAUS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NKlDZvxLwl\">pic.twitter.com\/NKlDZvxLwl<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sudesh (@sudeshbaniya_) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sudeshbaniya_\/status\/1746118321374630193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still going strong at 39 years of age, he has dreamed and fought for Indian football\u2019s recognition, becoming the poster boy and bagging some 93 international goals in the process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is amazing to play outside of your country and get that kind of support,\u201d he told <em>The Asian Game<\/em> after the Australia clash. \u201cWe would have loved to give them something to cheer for, but I hope they come back in the next games and we can give them something to be happy about.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The only other player to be a part of both the 2011 and 2023 Asian Cup sides, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, understands the importance of maintaining performances to cater to the growing interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur captain told us we should play for the crowd,\u201d he said. \u201cIt should have been better but we now need to wrap it off and move on to the upcoming two matches.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-road-ahead\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Road Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Termed as the \u201csleeping giants of football\u201d by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, growing interest in Indian football comes on the back of tangible progress, particularly under Igor Stimac, and the potential going forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most prominent performances that is emblematic of the progress and the potential, coincidentally, came in Doha in 2019. In front of a sold-out crowd, including the <em>Manjappada<\/em>\u2019s persistent drumming, India held Asian champions Qatar to a 0-0 draw, putting up a fight that looked very similar to the first-half performance on Saturday \u2013 resolute, courageous, fueled by a lively presence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[The] giant is definitely out of its slumber now,\u201d India\u2019s head coach Igor Stimac said before the Asian Cup kicked off. \u201cWe started working on changing the identity of the Indian team as soon as I took charge. We are well aware that we are far away from the top sides in Asia, but the potential is there.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AFC Asian Cup 2023: Is India ready to compete with Asia&amp;apos;s best?\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PLJeikrtEOk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If anything, the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, guaranteeing eight spots for Asia, has furthered the need to advance quicker to qualify as soon as realistically possible. Stimac has been vocal with his demands, saying the country needs to act fast to bridge the gap that exists between themselves and the top Asian sides, frequently echoed by his players.<br><br>\u201cIt was not easy to play the best team in Asia,\u201d Chhetri told <em>The Asian Game<\/em>. \u201cWe are not used to playing sides like these. The next step is to play these sides more frequently to get to the next stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2-0 loss on Saturday served both as a testament, as well as a reality check to those aspirations. Despite starting strong, India was punished for their fatal errors and \u201cnever knew what to expect\u201d according to the Indian captain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe team lacks consistency,\u201d Saswat Biswas, an Indian student in Doha said, echoing the Indian captain\u2019s wish to play above their level to learn from experiences, adding that India can grab points from the next two games if they \u201cturn up.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first of those two games will be the Uzbekistan clash on Thursday, a clash that <em>Manjappada <\/em>and Faisal will attend and see the team build on the positives from the Australia clash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If anything, the major difference from 2011 has been exactly that \u2013 from watching the national team participate to watching them do well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Photo: <\/strong>Asian Football Confederation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Listen to <strong>The Asian Game Podcast<\/strong> as we discuss India&#8217;s prospects with Indian Super League commentator Erik Paartalu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/3nWn8SdydO3QShDV9A3BbU\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just half an hour before India\u2019s match against Australia kicked off, Faisal was still casting around for a ticket. In the tepid Doha heat outside of the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, it seemed like a strenuous task, especially for an Asian Cup match.&nbsp; Moments before, Faisal dispersed from an organised section \u2013 draped in blue [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":3999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[328,101,512],"class_list":["post-3997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-afc-asian-cup","tag-india","tag-national-teams"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Drums for Dreams: India&#039;s growing love affair with football - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drums for Dreams: India&#039;s growing love affair with football - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just half an hour before India\u2019s match against Australia kicked off, Faisal was still casting around for a ticket. In the tepid Doha heat outside of the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, it seemed like a strenuous task, especially for an Asian Cup match.&nbsp; Moments before, Faisal dispersed from an organised section \u2013 draped in blue [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T00:05:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-25T04:58:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AFC-ASIAN-CUP-2023-Fans-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sudesh Baniya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/sudeshbaniya_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sudesh Baniya\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sudesh Baniya\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bad7ff3fb751c62a7d0c62bcb1455709\"},\"headline\":\"Drums for Dreams: India&#8217;s growing love affair with football\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-15T00:05:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-25T04:58:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1111,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/AFC-ASIAN-CUP-2023-Fans-1-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"AFC Asian Cup\",\"India\",\"National Teams\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ANALYSIS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/drums-for-dreams-indias-growing-love-affair-with-football\\\/\",\"name\":\"Drums for Dreams: India's growing love affair with football - 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