Over the past twelve months, we have seen a number of
international footballers enchant Indian audiences – Messi & Co. gave
Kolkata’s football-crazed crowds quite a treat as Argentina took on Venezuela,
Venky’s very own Barclays Premier League club Blackburn Rovers played in front
of a packed stadium in Pune and German giants Bayern Munich enriched Baichung
Bhutia’s testimonial in New Delhi. Many believe that this trend is part of a greater
scheme to uplift India from the depths of footballing obscurity and transform
it into a force to be reckoned with.
In keeping with this theme, the country’s most beloved foreign
club Manchester United is in the process of establishing its world-renowned Soccer
Schools program here in Mumbai. After club CEO David Gill announced a tie-up
with the Western India Football Association (WIFA) back in November, ex-United
captain Gary Neville arrived in the city to inaugurate the training program.
On a sundrenched morning at the Cooperage, hundreds of people
gathered to welcome the man whom the Old Trafford faithful affectionately call Red Nev, and the man himself looked
pleased as punch to be in India – signing autographs and posing for pictures
until the scorching heat got the better of him. He then relaxed in the
air-conditioned comfort of a new clothing and accessories store soon to be
opened at the venue. About half an hour
later, he emerged in proper United training apparel, boots and all, and
participated in a light training session with local schoolchildren, the beneficiaries
of this whole endeavour. Neville
accompanied MUSS head coach Chris O’Brien in demonstrating ‘the United way’ of
training youngsters with an array of dribbling, passing and footwork exercises
while the crowd cheered his every movement. “Who do you think taught Giggsy his
tricks?” Neville joked, as he pleased everyone with some elaborate twists and
turns.
As the shenanigans concluded on the Cooperage turf, it was
back to the grind for poor old Gary Neville with an impatient throng of fans
waiting for their jerseys and footballs to be autographed and their pictures to
be taken with a man they were only used to seeing week-in-week-out on ESPN. “This is the best day of my life!” said one teary-eyed
United enthusiast, proudly showing us his signed scarf. “I woke up at 6am,
spent an hour and a half in the local train and waited in the sun for another
couple of hours; it’s all worth it now!”
The sweat poured down Gary Neville’s face which had turned
rather reddish-pink, as British skin does tend to, when faced with sunny
conditions. We didn’t bother offering him a towel, though, ecstatic as we were
with our autographed issue of Fuse
safely in our hands, we took our leave, feeling rather pleased that India’s
footballing future lies in excellent hands.
