FORMER GERMAN INTERNATIONAL and World Cup winner, Bayern Munich and German football legend Lothar Matthaus, was in Kochi yesterday to witness the match between Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC.
While he expected to see a full stadium with the familiar exciting matchday atmosphere that Kerala Blasters home games are known for, his visit coincided with the fan protest spearheaded by Manjappada who boycotted the match alleging apathy and casual attitude from the management and lack of effort on their part to act to change an underperforming team for the better.
Asked about it today at a press event in Mumbai, Matthaus didn't agree with the fans' decision to boycott the match,
"I can also hold a protest against my wife for not cooking well enough... you have to support your team in good times and bad times. I saw the Kochi team last night, they didn't have a good result... but they didn't give up and kept trying till the end... the coach, the players, they gave their all."
Drawing comparison to himself as in his playing days, Matthaus said he counted on fans to offer him a helping hand when times were tough,
"When times are not going all, I hope and wish for the fans to stay behind me, and hope to give something better in return."
The former German versatile player drew a comparison betwen Kerala Blasters and German club Borussia Dortmund,
"If you've been following Bundesliga, you know that in the last two-three years Borussia Dortmund were sh*t. They were playing the same football and not producing results. But the fans stayed with the team. They supported them through and through and now they are getting good results not just in Bundesliga but also in the Champions League."