West Block Blues boo Kerala Blasters: New rivalry in the making?
The Blues' supporters have recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
The West Block Blues touch both the highs and lows with regular and unbelievable consistency. On one side, they created arguably the biggest banner in Asian football for the national team when they played against the Kyrgyz Republic on 13th June. The banner read, ‘The Road is long, but the belief is everything. Stand up for Indian football’ signed by ‘West Block Blues’.
While that certainly made the whole nation’s pitiable audience watching the game stand up and applaud, there was a recent twist recently. As Bengaluru FC hoisted the national dreams in the AFC Cup Inter Zonal semi-finals on Wednesday evening and ruthlessly shrugged off the much-praised North Korean opponents April 25 Sports Club, West Block Blues created another banner which read 'How Bad do you want it?'. Surely, it asked the players about their will to win, but the story goes beyond the beginning.
Bengaluru FC fans West Block Blues thank Manjappada after AFC Cup semi-final 2016
The Bengaluru FC fan base used chants like ‘Who the f*** is Kerala Blasters?’, which once again showed that the Blues' fans are set to take on arguably the most football-frenzy fan base in India. Bengaluru FC have got inducted into the Indian Super League (ISL) this year and are yet to play any games against the side which has reached two finals in three editions. Interestingly, Rino Anto and CK Vineeth, former BFC players, who were at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday evening, gave their opinions on the chants.
Opinions of Rino Anto after the game
It must be highlighted that Bengaluru FC's last year's foray to the AFC Cup finals was well documented and supported by the Kerala Blasters' fan base. A large portion of the Manjappada had traveled to the Sree Kanteerava as Sunil Chhetri inspired the Blues to a 3-2 victory. Looks like the memory of fanbases are really short lived and the West Block are ready to go heads on to a new rivalry.
Kerala Blasters’ fan base, the Manjapadda, meanwhile, takes pride in its numbers as they’re the club with the highest average attendance in the last two years in Asia, an achievement of sorts. The number at the Sree Kanteerava may not be that impressive, but the crowds are certainly pumped up for every home team, be it the Blues or the Blue Tigers.
Also read Bengaluru FC put three past April 25 SC in AFC Cup
This is not the first time the West Block Blues has been in the news though. The same group chanted ‘F*** you – Khalid Jamil’ in last season’s I-league encounter against Aizawl FC at the Sree Kanteerava. The former Mumbai FC man did end up on the losing side in the game but silenced them by winning the I-league title.
❤????☺ pic.twitter.com/1GVJz2ojY3
— CK Vineeth (@ckvineeth) August 24, 2017
Rivalries are good, they’re healthy and they continue the football legacy. We’ve read numerous times about Merseyside Derbies, the United-Liverpool chants, the Milan Derby, German rivalries and the El Clasico, but all of them have historical relevance and have fought for major honors for some time in history. Closer home, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan who proudly boast of the Kolkata Derby have forever been the biggest clubs in Indian football, except in recent times.
[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]In such a scenario, chanting against a club you’ve not played a game against looks a little deluded or even, a little misplaced. Khel Now requests West Block Blues to get their fan wars right and first, try and get more numbers to the stands, as two of the most important sides are playing at the base more often than not. WBB is probably trying to rise up a few notches by challenging a behemoth in Indian football’s current fan-boyic story and the story is set to get interesting, as the Manjappada is geared to fill the Kanteerava. The ISL-management team must be smiling in the horizon.
Latest News
- ISL 2023-24: FC Goa vs Mumbai City FC Match Report & Highlights
- Mauricio Pochettino in danger to lose Chelsea job following embarrassing loss to Arsenal
- Didn't expect there will be five goals in this game, says Mumbai City FC boss Petr Kratky
- ISL 2023-24: Mumbai City stun FC Goa with late comeback
- 'Jayesh Rane - SAB PE BHARI' - Fans react to Mumbai City's win over FC Goa in ISL semis
Trending Articles
- Scouting Report: Who is East Bengal's bright talent Sayan Banerjee?
- Which clubs have won ISL Trophy in the past?
- Anju Turambekar appointed AFC Youth Panel Member to represent Singapore
- Hyderabad FC handed 'another' FIFA transfer ban
- Jahouh's domination and other talking points from Odisha FC's win over Mohun Bagan
Editor Picks
- All-Indian scorecard and other talking points from ISL semi-final between FC Goa and Mumbai City FC
- Which clubs have won ISL Trophy in the past?
- Anju Turambekar appointed AFC Youth Panel Member to represent Singapore
- Top five players with most away goals in UEFA Champions League knockout phase
- Hyderabad FC handed 'another' FIFA transfer ban