KOCHI: As home favourites Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC), who opened their campaign in this year’s ISL with a resounding win against East Bengal FC, prepares to take on ATK Mohun Bagan on their home turf at JNI Stadium in Kochi in their second outing on Sunday, the Kolkata team will have a tough time battling their rivals who are all charged up.
Besides, ATK will be up against massive home support from members of the “yellow brigade’, who are expected to fill the galleries. All tickets have been sold out much before the match as the Kerala Blasters fans are all gearing up to watch the match.
At a press conference on Saturday, team coach Ivan Vukomanovic hinted that the huge fan support they receive will help the team perform well in the match. “The first half against East Bengal was not an easy one. The cheers from the Blasters fans will make it a hellish experience for the opponents coming to Kochi. Though we started with a win, there are still mistakes to be rectified,” said Vukomanovic.
Despite having a strong head-to-head record against the Kerala Blasters, this will be the ATK’s first visit to the Blasters’ home ground. With the match on Sunday, this will be the fifth meeting between these two teams. In the last four encounters, the Mariners had scored 10 goals and won three games, while the Blasters hag netted six and couldn’t post a victory. However, ATK started off their season with a loss against Chennaiyin FC on their home turf.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the league. Speaking budget-wise and the amount of national team players, they are really quality players on an individual basis and on the collective side, they’re a stronger unit. So, if you want to achieve something positive against this kind of team, you have to be at the top of your game. Vukomanovic added.
Meanwhile, the stadium, which is expected to have nearly 50,000 spectators, will witness the fans’ special support towards the Kerala players such as Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul K P, Bijoy Varghese and Sachin Suresh. But this cannot be expected by Malayali player Ashique Kuruniyan, who is in the rival group. The stadium is expected to witness chanting against him similar to East Bengal’s Malayali player V P Suhair faced in the last match here. However, the ATK player from Malappuram seems to have not been worried at all.
“As far as I’m concerned, the atmosphere does not worry me because I hail from Malappuram, where I grew up playing 7s football in front of crowds like these. I’ve heard chants against me from the time I was 15.” Ashique said at the press conference.
MVD ISSUES SHOWCAUSE NOTICE TO BLASTERS’ BUS
Kochi: A day after the Kerala High Court issued a direction against modified vehicles in the state, the Motor Vehicle Department on Saturday issued a show cause notice to the Kerala Blasters’ official bus. The bus, covered fully in yellow, also had a sporting pictures of the players, spotted when the vehicle brought the players for a practice session at Panampilly Nagar.
The department also asked the owner of the bus to appear before the RTO on Monday. “If the vehicle owner could display advertisements on the bus by paying a certain amount, it is not possible anymore as per the new High Court verdict. A show cause notice has been issued and we have asked the owner to appear before the RTO,” said a MVD official. Meanwhile, a top officer with the MVD said the officials of the team had approached the department last week for getting the permission.