Gowthampura: Where Pele is god, Brazil is heaven!

Bengaluru: What first catches one’s eye when entering Gowthampura, a small neighbourhood tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Trinity Circle, is a statue of Mother Theresa and that of  legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele.

Further along a small lane, carpeted by cement and surrounded by buildings of varied and contrasting colours, lies a makeshift but intimate stadium well lit from all four sides.

Welcome  to the Maracana Stadium of  this “mini Brazil.” Once every four years during the World Cup, the street is bathed in yellow and green colour as it rises in  support of the South Americans.

Footballing roots run deep here. For over half a century,  many who took their first steps in this football hub of the city, that covers Austin Town and Murphy Town, have gone on to represent the national team. A fact that is rightly recalled with pride  by their successors.

“My uncle, S.A Basheer, represented the country in the Olympics back in 1948,” says Arifulla, a proud family member. “Back in those days, India was a big team in Asia. There are many others like him who have gone on to represent the country from these parts,” he adds.

While the city is predominantly seen as an IT hub, the football culture is also deeply ingrained in its fabric,  mainly as a result of its Tamil population.  It has produced international stars through generations , a tradition that continues to this day.

“I have been playing here since I was a kid. We are born into football here. The interest in football among the young and old is huge. All we do here is play football. The minute school is over, kids are  at the play ground playing football and they don’t go home even to eat until their parents call in the night,” says Sharath Kumar, a Bangalore Mars player,  who plays in the B Division of the local league.

Some may look down on Indian footballers due to their lack of exposure to European football , but their  interest is genuine and  is fast gathering steam.

If  you need convincing, all you need to do is visit the Bangalore Football Stadium during a local derby or the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on a BFC match day. The experience is likely to change you.

Whopper of prize-money
Gowthampura has its own way of funding games, so much so that the prize money for even a local tournament here goes up to a lakh! “The last tournament had a prize money of one lakh for the winning side. Many of us represent the teams in the BDFA local league and so there is huge interest here as well, ” says Sharath Kumar,  adding that the lack of coaching is a
hindrance, however