Bayern Munich Arrive in Calcutta
27th May 2008
German football team Bayern Munich have arrived in Calcutta, where they will become the first big European club to play in India. The team’s visit signifies the increasing popularity of football in a country that is generally known for its love of cricket.
Organisers of the historic match believe that 120,000 spectators will watch the German team play in a friendly against local side Mohan Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium. The game will be the last for German football legend Oliver Kahn, who is retiring from the team after 22 years.
While they are in the country, Bayern Munich will be passing on tips to promising young players at a coaching clinic organised by Adidas at the Calcutta Cricket and Football club. At the coaching session, Bayern Munich players will mix with 48 youngsters, who have been chosen from different tournaments. The team are enjoying spending time with the local community so much that Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has decided to avoid a pre-match practice session in order to spend more time with them. He said: “We have some social responsibilities, so that won’t allow us time for practice.”
BBC reporters spoke to two young boys, Ramjit and Sanjoy, who will be in the crowd at the match on Wednesday. Ramjit believes that football is getting so popular in India that it could eventually rival the popularity of cricket. Ramjit said: “If Bayern Munich can come down here why can football not compete with cricket? It is just a slow ongoing process. There are kids who like watching football, they prefer it to cricket as cricket is getting boring.” However, Sanjoy wasn’t quite so sure, he said: “Every sport in this country is secondary to cricket.”
Despite this, it’s clear to see that the popularity of football is growing in India. In fact, if you walk around any of India’s big cities, you’ll see youngsters wearing Manchester United and Chelsea shirts. This means that in the future, more European clubs may follow Bayern Munich’s lead and come to India.