All’s well with Bengaluru Football Club

People are talking about the I-League for a change following the success of Bengaluru FC. If a Goan club had won the title, as had been the norm ever since the advent of the I-League, few would have paid attention outside the football mad state. More than Bengaluru’s achievement of winning the crown in their maiden season, the way they have been running the club has fascinated football fans from other territories.

When clubs are struggling to fill in the stands for home matches, the supporters of Bengaluru are travelling to away games. The club, bankrolled by Jindal Group, must be doing an awful lot of things right to have scored on and off the field.Raman Vijayan, former India international, said he was delighted by the success of Bengaluru FC. “I never thought Bengaluru would win the league. It isn’t easy for a debutant club to go all the way. Bengaluru have broken the duopoly of Kolkata and Goa. More than anything else, professionalism has helped them clinch the title. They have done it without blindly reposing faith in star power. Barring Sunil and Robin, the champions didn’t have big names,” he added.

According to Vijayan, the achievement of Bengaluru is a lesson for many clubs, especially those in Kolkata. “A lot of people have realised that there is football outside traditional centres now. The management of the new I-League champions left all the football issues to the chief coach. They also ensured that there was no pressure on the coach and his players. In Kolkata, things are different as the position of the coach is reviewed after every three match,” he said.

The former East Bengal star, the last Indian to top the scoring charts of the national league, said he was also impressed by the work of Bengaluru’s marketing wing. “I see a lot of youngsters on the streets of Bengaluru in the club jersey these days. BFC have brought in a new set of fans to the stadium. In addition to disproving the theory that Indian football lovers wouldn’t shell out a decent sum to watch local matches, the club managed to attract a sizeable number of female fans for their home fixtures.

Other cities that are in the race to buy I-League clubs can take a leaf out of BFC. The I-League champions are also fortunate to have the full backing of the Karnataka State Football Association,” he added.