The lights shone bright on the green surface some hundred yards
away from where I sat. On the surface, individuals from a certain sports team I
favoured were battling it out for top honours against their rivals. The tension
was immense and threatened to overshadow the excitement of watching the title
clash unfolding in front of me. The crowd – which had packed the stands to
breaking point - had been waiting for what seemed like ages. Some, like me,
stood transfixed by the action, unable to move; others had closed their eyes in
silent prayer; still others were singing their hearts out for that extra piece
of inspiration to surge the team onward.
At last, just as all hope was lost, the winning moment
arrived as my team’s captain pulled off a spectacular strike to send the packed
house into delirium.
Replace team with either the Indian cricket team or
Manchester United. The strange bit is perhaps the fact that there is not much
by way of differences to compare. Perhaps this is because both sports occupy
the primary position of following in their respective countries.
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| Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary (right) |
Fans of either team, or even just of the sport itself, are a
curious brand of patrons. It doesn’t matter whether you’re spending more than
eight hours in 40-degree heat to watch India pull off a world cup win, or
spending two hours in minus-four-degree cold to see United see off noisy
neighbours Manchester City. The sheer amount of passion and dedication employed
by both sets of fans is the same.
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| Chacha Cricket |
For thousands, a match is more than just a result. Days,
sometimes entire lives, are based around following their team. Take the case of
Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, who was awared an honourary
ticket for all of India’s home matches, or Pakistan fan Chaudhry Abdul Jalil lovingly known as
chacha (uncle) insert picture or the Portsmouth fan, who legally had his
name changed to John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood to show his
dedication for the south coast side.
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| John Westwood |
The fan following has a curious effect on the rest of the
populace, at least in the case of India and Pakistan. The two nations may be at
odds over several political issues, and border tensions may be high, but Chaudhary
and Chacha are guaranteed recipients of match tickets and travel visas when the
two sides meet in their respective backyards. As a result, entire nations can
shake off political differences.
It just goes to show how sport can transcend borders, and as
Wanderley Luxemburgo, Brazil football team’s coach in 1999 said: "A player who
conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he
has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer.
We are going to conquer. Using the word I when you're in a group makes things
complicated."
The true sports fan is the 12th man for any team, and will
perhaps be the first to speak the aforementioned words.
