ISL 2022-23: Football without fans is nothing – Juan Ferrando

FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando stated that football without fans is nothing. The last two editions of the Hero Indian Super League have been played without fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the upcoming season of the ISL will welcome back the fans into the stadiums.

The players will feel the motivation and the atmosphere will be different in the forthcoming edition because of the spectators.

“Fans are very important for us. Football without fans is nothing. For us it is very important to have them back at the stadium and have their support. Success of the club and team is for the fans,” Juan Ferrando said in an event in Mumbai.

On the other hand, Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic is also delighted by the return of the fans. The Tuskers had played the ISL 2021-22 final against Hyderabad FC in front of the fans and Vukomanovic recalled that it was a great experience.

“It was such a pleasure to see them in the finals,” said Vukomanovic. “Them coming there and supporting us, getting back that feeling after so long was a joy. We are glad that we are getting back to our stadiums, and especially with the fans, because I think that the football we play is for the fans.”

Meanwhile, Mumbai City FC was able to qualify for the final of the Durand Cup but lost to Bengaluru FC. The tournament was played with the crowd back in the stands and the head coach Des Buckingham felt it played a key role in motivating the players.

“We played three games with what I think was 15 to 20 thousand people in the stadiums and there’s nothing more exciting than hearing that roar of a crowd. Whether it’s a player breaking through with an opportunity to score or a goalkeeper making a match-winning save. You feel that energy. You feel that excitement from the sideline, and you can certainly see it in the tempo of the game for the players,” he said.

Kerala Blasters FC will kick off their ISL 2022-23 campaign against Emami East Bengal in the season’s curtain raiser on October 7 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Koc