Fan club eagerly awaits FC Goa's first home win this ISL season
Football evokes excitement, irrespective of whether you are cheering from the stands or watching the game from the comfort of your home. And, as FC Goa prepares to take on a strong Mumbai City FC on Saturday, October 19, at Fatorda, in the Indian Super League, this excitement is natural and palpable.
United in the desire for the first victory at home in this season of ISL is the FC Goa Fan Club, which is gearing up to unveil its largest hand-painted tifo on Saturday to cheer their team and celebrate the spirit of the game.
The fan club members are buzzing with excitement and are eager to see the boys taste their first win on home turf. "There is no doubt FC Goa will be victorious 3-0 against Mumbai City," predicts FC Goa Fan Club president, who goes by the name Omi.
Omi adds that he has every reason to predict this scoreline with two of the team's star players — Iker Guarrotxena and Sandesh Jhingan — likely to start and figure in the line-up for Saturday's game.
To make any game memorable, a stadium relies on enthusiastic crowds to cheer on the players. With discounted entry for the Saturday match, Fatorda stadium is expecting a surge in ticket sales.
When it comes to head-to-head count, Mumbai City FC looks better on the chart with more wins. However, Omi takes comfort in the 7-0 defeat FC Goa inflicted on the Islanders at Fatorda in 2015. With this win, it had created a record of becoming the first team in ISL history to score seven goals.
While the 7-0 win was indeed remarkable, FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur remembers the team's 5-1 drubbing of Mumbai in their own backyard in 2019. Every game is special, and on Saturday, too, we expect a lot of entertainment and drama with some landmark results, he added.
To make any game memorable, a stadium relies on enthusiastic crowds to cheer on the players. With discounted entry for the Saturday match, Fatorda stadium is expecting a surge in ticket sales.
"If the current trend of sales is an indication to go by, we’re expecting to improve on the attendance that we had for the North East United game by nearly 120-130 per cent. We will have a clear idea by the evening of October 19, but for now, there is a lot of chatter, discussion and interest around this game," says Puskur.
Football strikes the right chord with Goans and the Saturday match
will be high on emotions for the fans with FC Goa's former captain, Brandon Fernandes, donning Mumbai's blue jersey.
That shouldn't be a big problem for the FC Goa Fan Club, says Omi, whose attitude reflects the unwavering spirit of the fans.
"We have a lot of respect for Brandon. He's been our captain and we will definitely applaud him when he's coming on or leaving the field. But that's about it," he adds.
As always, the fan club members led by Omi, will gather outside Gate Number One at 3 pm in Fatorda to welcome the team bus into the stadium, and later, they will unfurl the tifo on the East Upper Stand.
"As our key players are returning, we have composed some new chants which we'll be singing in the stands," informs Omi as he appeals to Goans to join them in large numbers at Fatorda on Saturday to make the right noises.