Closed door football can become normal in future, opines Bhaichung Bhutia
Bhaichung Bhutia feels fans will get accustomed to watch football on Television
|AFP
Bhaichung Bhutia feels that closed-door football could very well become the new normal if the virus-induced regulations continue even the lockdown is lifted. While the Indian Super League final was played behind closed doors, the I-League was called-off prematurely due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Even though Bundesliga has opened the shop after a two-month gap while La Liga is set for a June 2 resumption, but there is yet no clarity on when the Premier League and the Serie A might return. Even if competitive football gets back to normal, there is no probability that people would be allowed inside stadiums any time soon. As per Bhaichung Bhutia, if the regulations continue, football fans may be well accustomed to enjoying matches from home itself.
“If the virus-induced regulations continue and closed-door football becomes the new normal, then soon we will be accustomed to watching matches on television only. Yes, without fans, football is nothing, but at least the world would have been curious about our football,” said Bhaichung Bhutia, as reported by The Telegraph.
“I do not think six months down the line it would matter whether we are playing with or without fans,” added the former International.Â
With the 2019-20 Indian football seasons ending abruptly, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has hinted that the new ISL season might start in November this year. Bhutia feels that fans were starving for live-action and just when the Bundesliga hit the screens, its viewership sky-rocketed.
“We are obsessed with English Premier League and Spanish League. But on Saturday, within 25 minutes of the kick-off (Borussia Dortmund versus Schalke 04), the inbox was flooded with memes. That means people, starved of live-action, were waiting for the restart,” stated Bhutia.
