KOLKATA: Before Sunday, only East Bengal and Mohun Bagan could boast of attracting good crowds in Kolkata. The Salt Lake Stadium was a different entity all together, before Chile took on England in the U-17 World Cup.
A few major things that immediately attracted attention was the presence of women and a lot many families. The Kolkata Derby can have one of the most hostile environments, it's not the best place to take your kid or family! But Sunday was different, with strict security and volunteers ensuring no unruly scenes inside or outside the venue.
“I have never been to the ground before. My son has been bugging me to buy tickets for the U-17 World Cup. It is really a beautiful stadium,” Paramita Mukherjee, a homemaker, said. She was obviously not aware of the previous look of the amphitheatre!
There was no hooliganism, a common sight during marquee matches. In Kolkata, you are either an East Bengal or a Mohun Bagan supporter. There was no such scene outside the stadium with everybody going to watch some proper footballing action. Even the toilets and food counters had people standing in an orderly queue, unimaginable even a few years ago!
Initially, you could hear middle-aged spectators saying they would be happy if England lose to Chile. The older generation here are not exactly fond of the English, while South American footballers are worshipped.
The younger crowd have grown up on a steady diet of the English Premier League and most of the playing XI of the Young Lions were known by name to them. Chile might have skilled players, they are not the most well known. This bunch of youngsters have mostly stayed away from football in Kolkata, but the World Cup has finally given them a chance to watch future stars in action.
“I am a big Chelsea fan. I came to watch the future English stars in action. I have seen images of the old stadium and this is definitely unrecognisable. It definitely has the feel of a foreign venue,” Debajyoti Roy, a software engineer by profession, said.
As soon as the match kicked off, the English teens took control, with Jadon Sancho getting the crowd excited every time he touched the ball and the goals were celebrated wildly. The first English goal was greeted with a deafening noise and the new flavour of the season – mobile torchlights being waved!
To avoid traffic snarls, people started arriving at the venue a good three hours prior to kick-off. The ground looked half full, almost an hour before the start. Something both Goa and Delhi (for non-India matches) have failed to achieve so far. The bar has definitely been raised. Now it's over to football!