The Mumbai FC 'Blackout' Saga: a happy ending for the anguished fans

THE MUMBAI FC Blackout saga that unfolded last night has been resolved; and the fans left anguished by the whole episode have reason to be happy and relieved.

TFG understands that the TV listings for I-League matches in January and February which did not include a single fixture involving Mumbai FC was the result of an "oversight" on the part of the broadcasters, Ten Sports Network.

That the TV network that has been associated with India's top division league for years could do something like this sounds ridiculous because the Ten Sports Network is owned by the Essel Group which also owns Mumbai FC. Which is why the whole episode especially left Mumbai FC fans bewildered, as many took to the social media to cry foul. 

But the powers that be were swift to address the mess and a process began early morning to rectify the situation after Mumbai FC wrote an angry letter of protest to AIFF as well as the fan backlash. As a result, Prasenjit Basu, the Head of Marketing for Ten Sports Network, announced on Twitter that some of Mumbai FC's matches  have been added to the TV listings.

@MumbaiFCFans @Rajesh_sethi MFC matches have been added to the broadcast schedule !

— Prasenjit Basu (@pbasu51272) December 31, 2015

Mumbai FC fans, who have gone through a lengthy pre-season process to organize, come up with chants and banners to re-announce themselves to the world in the upcoming I-League will be relieved that their efforts will not be stifled and go unnoticed by potential new fans after all.