End of the Red Lizards? Football fans react, but team tweets Parsi New Year wishes
A TUESDAY MORNING brought a bitter dose of news for Indian football fans, as word broke out that both the I-League clubs based in Pune, namely Pune FC and Bharat FC, were considering the closure of their first teams. As the news spread, football fans and people closely related to Indian football began to vent their anger and frustration online, many blaming the administration and the eskewed nature of the Indian football landscape, while others asking fans to take a look in the mirror:
Pune FC and Bharat FC could be folding soon. ISL going big guns. Start at the bottom of the pyramid or it's 1 step forward, 3 steps back
— Saahil D (@BhagArjunBhag) August 18, 2015
More thn blaming the administration, ask yourselves what have fans done for #Indianfootball. #punefc #bharatfc hve alwys seen empty stadiums
— Nikhil Jadhav (@42nikhil) August 18, 2015
IndianFootball only cares about fame & appearances( ISL).Big lost if Pune puls plug.1ofthe good clubs. Development??? https://t.co/x81tbi78nH
— Eelco Schattorie (@ESchattorie) August 18, 2015
@BharatFC was a known case but @PuneFC too.Seriously 2ndworse day 4 Indian Football (after loss to Guam).Murdered by so called Super League.
— Dipayan Mazumdar (@MazumdarDipayan) August 18, 2015
This is a real blow for #IndianFootball & the iLeague. #Pune FC & Bharat FC likely to shut down first team operations https://t.co/HWXAATXRml
— Baljit Rihal (@BaljitRihal) August 18, 2015
Sad that @PuneFC is shutting their 1st team operation. Another victim of ISL..though we always were rivals, appreciated their approach
— Sumanta Chakraborty (@sumanta48) August 18, 2015
Others, including the FIFA Regional Development Officer Dr Shaji Prabhakaran, expressed hope that the situation was not as bad as it was being made out to be:
I don't believe Pune FC is shutting down its main team. One thing is true Pune can't absorb more one team in the top league @ILeagueOfficial
— Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) August 18, 2015
Nothing official yet. I m staying positive. @PuneFC should promote Academy players in the first team & continue playing in I-league.
— Suraj Pawar (@SuraJuan8) August 18, 2015
Others, like this user, made an emotional appeal to Pune FC to change their mind about all this:
Think over it well, @PuneFC. https://t.co/1etPpeooxh
— Bhargab Sarmah (@BhargabSarmah) August 18, 2015
This user chose a creative path of venting his frustration, accusing AIFF and IMG-Reliance of slowly poisoning I-League and its clubs in this "poster" for the league:
First Look : #Heroileague 2015-16 Poster - #Indianfootball pic.twitter.com/icHULDNk6Z
— Goonerunny (@tushizap) August 18, 2015
There has been no word from the clubs' official sources till now, and the Pune FC official Twitter account remained silent throughout this turmoil. Their last tweet, published a few hours earlier, was the epitome of formal cheeriness:
#PuneFC wishes all fans a very Happy Parsi New Year! #WeArePune #ParsiNewYear pic.twitter.com/SBCQ0co4gG
— Pune Football Club (@PuneFC) August 18, 2015
