Blue Pilgrims
Founded2017 (2017)
TypeSupporters' group
Teams
MottoInquilab-e-Indian football
(Revolution of Indian football)
LocationIndia
ArenaMultiple
ColorsBlue & Indian tricolour

Blue Pilgrims is an organised group of football fans who support the India national football men's team, women's team, and all the other age–group national teams at almost every home and away game. Founded in 2017 before the commencement of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which was held in India, the group based their name on the nickname of the national team, the "Blue Tigers". They consider travelling with the national teams to wherever the teams play as their pilgrimage.[1] They often display flags, banners, and tifos in support of the national team.

History

Blue Pilgrims, 2018 Intercontinental cup
Blue Pilgrims displaying tri-colour national flag and their own banners at the 2018 Intercontinental Cup

Until the 2000s, India football fans were mostly scattered, being widely based in West Bengal, North-East India, Goa, and Kerala.[2][3][4][5][6] Other than matches at the Asian Games, Nehru Cup, or SAFF Championship,[7][8][9] fans showed up in small numbers when the team played, and fans of different clubs used to support the team in their respective local venues. In 2017, the Blue Pilgrims were established as the first organised fan club for the national team.[1][10][11][12]

The Blue Pilgrims were formed with a motive to support the national team and the U-17 team during the historic 2017 U17 World Cup,[13] India's first-ever FIFA competition participation. Begun with some 300 fans,[13][14] the group grew to encompass thousands, with fans from different regions and with different allegiances coming together to support the Blue Tigers.[1][10] They call themselves the devotees of the Blue Tigers, and their objective is to support India national football teams of all genders and ages, wherever they play.[1][10][11] For their dedication, they have been called the "12th man" of the team.[13][14]

Chants, slogans, and banners

The Blue Pilgrims's most common chants are: "Oh India!",[lower-alpha 1] "In Unity we stand",[lower-alpha 2] "Oh India we stand for you!",[lower-alpha 3] and "Vande Mataram".[15][16] Their sports anthems are "Oh when the blues go marching in, I wanna be in that number!" (sung to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In"), and "Hum honge kaamyab" (We Shall Overcome).[14] Since their formation, the Blue Pilgrims celebrate after every match with the Viking clap together with national team members.[17][18]

Fans of the India national football team display the country's tricolour national flag and also wear blue jerseys in solidarity with the team. They use to display banners inscribed with Blue Pilgrims along with their motto "Inquilab-e-Indian football" (Revolution of Indian football), a catchphrase which signifies their ongoing effort and struggle as a movement for supporting the national team.[1][10][19] They often shouted their common slogan, "We love you, wherever you go, we follow!".[lower-alpha 4][15]

Notable events

Response to captain's call

Blue Pilgrims, 3D tifo
The 3D Blue Tiger tifo displayed by Blue Pilgrims in June 2018

On 2 June 2018, then-team captain Sunil Chhetri posted a video on social media urging the fans to come out at Mumbai, Maharashtra to support the team after a poor crowd appearance of only 2,569 at a match against Chinese Taipei in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup. India achieved a significant victory in that match, winning by 5–0 with Chhetri scoring a hat-trick, but few fans were present to celebrate.[20][21] Responding to the captain's call, the Blue Pilgrims and football supporters made sure that the stadiums were full during the next few matches.[21][22] In the final of that tournament, the Blue Pilgrims displayed a 30 ft (9.1 m) tall 3D tifo of a Blue Tiger, the first ever in the team's history.[17][23][24]

Protest against AIFF and FSDL

India football fans protest
Blue Pilgrims's protest against AIFF and FSDL

During the 2019 Intercontinental Cup on 13 July, the Blue Pilgrims unveiled a banner inscribed "Football Doesn't Matter, Money Does?" before India's match against North Korea at the TransStadia Arena in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.[25][26] Their protest was against the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Football Sports Development (FSDL) due to their failure to resolve the issues related to the two simultaneous top-tier leagues in Indian football; the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League.[27] The protest was mainly due to the unfair treatment of I-league clubs with respect to media, visibility and coverage,[26][28] and further to highlight the then circumstances of Indian football where multiple clubs were shutting down or at the juncture to shut down.[28][29][30][31] The AIFF's plan was also to give the premier league position in the country to the ISL, played by newly formed clubs in India, ahead of the popular I-League, which is played by long-established football clubs of India.[27][28] This decision would give the ISL winner the AFC Champions League's preliminary round allocated berth, and also the AFC Cup's group stage allocated berth, which were previously given to I-League winners for being the top league of the country.[32][33][34] When match organisers at the stadium asked the fans to refrain from displaying these banners, they wore shirts instead which displayed the words "GREED > FOOTBALL?" to protest against the FSDL.[26][27]

Homage to Talimeren Ao

T.Ao's tifo, 2019 Blue Pilgrims
Tifo of Talimeren Ao, unveiled by Blue Pilgrims in Guwahati, 2019

On 5 September 2019, the Blue Pilgrims in collaboration with the Highlander Brigade, displayed a huge tifo of the former India national football team captain Talimeren Ao during the 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Oman.[35][36] With that they unveiled their banner "The Revolutionary", and also displayed a mosaic forming the words "AO 1" with the help of a card stunt to pay homage to the legendary captain. Ao had led India at the 1948 Olympics in the match against France,[37] the first match India played after Independence.[38][39] Ao hailed from Nagaland (then a part of Assam), a state in the northeastern region of India, and because the anniversary of his death was in September and to encourage the ardour of the people of that part of the country towards football, the Blue Pilgrims decided to unfurl the tifo at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, located in Guwahati, Assam.[35]

Uniting Kolkata Derby fans

Blue Pilgrims unfurl a tifo displaying different club fans united together.
Tifo displaying fans of Mohammedan, Mohun Bagan, and East Bengal united as the "12th man" of the national team.

For India's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification home leg match against Bangladesh at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal on 15 October 2019, the coach and players of the national team expressed their desire to see a "full house" of fans, as often witnessed during Kolkata Derbies.[40][41][42] The Blue Pilgrims decided to create a tifo depicting a united group of Mohammedan (in black and white), Mohan Bagan (in green and maroon), and East Bengal (in yellow and red) fans as the "12th man" for the national team.[43][44] The creation of the tifo was a collaborative work among all groups of fans, as Mohun Bagan fans painted the East Bengal jersey and East Bengal fans painted the Mohun Bagan jersey; both sets painted the Mohammedan jersey.[45][46] Funding for the creation of the tifo was raised through crowdfunding; the Blue Pilgrims exceeded their goal of ₹60,000 (US$750), raising a total of ₹87,507 (US$1,100) from 274 donors.[47] Approximately 54,000 fans attended the match, one of the highest matches of the national team where the tifo was displayed.[48] The match ended in a draw between India and Bangladesh.[49]

See also

Footnotes

Lyrics

  1. ↑ Oh India :- Shaa lalalalalala, Oh India!; Shaa lalalalalala, Oh India !
  2. ↑ In Unity we stand :- In Unity we stand, every woman and man !; In Unity we stand, every club and fan ! In the land we born, we rise as one, we rise one !; One for all, all for one, stand strong, standing strong ! Do you feel like we do? For every player wearing blue; Our love for India, deep & true, deep & true !!
  3. ↑ Oh India we stand :- Oh India we stand for you !; Oh India we sing for you!; lalalala !
    Bengali version: India tumi agiye chalo !; Oh India tumi agiye chalo !; Aamra..thakbo..tomari..saathe.., aamra thakbo sobari sange !; Oh India tumi agiye chalo !!
  4. ↑ Slogan :- We love you; Wherever you go, we follow ! And peace upon India; And that's the way we like it !

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Indian national football teams to have dedicated fan base named 'Blue Pilgrims". www.sportskeeda.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  2. ↑ Dutta, Subrata; Kapadia, Novy; Nayeemuddin, Syed (29 June 2018). "Can Indian football make it to the top league?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Ramesh, Akshay (6 July 2018). "Fifa World Cup 2018: Which Indian state watches football extravaganza the most?". The International Business Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Baruah, Sanghamitra (14 June 2018). "World Cup 2018: Sorry, Bengalis. You are not India's greatest football fans". dailyo.in. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ↑ Rajagopal, Bulbul (7 July 2018). "Bend it like Bengal: Every four years, the cup comes home". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. ↑ Jitendran, Nikhil. "Kolkata reinstated as the 'Mecca of Indian football'". goal.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  7. ↑ Mukherjee, Debayan. "India win Nehru Cup for the third time". AIFF. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  8. ↑ Basu, Jaydeep (27 August 2007). "Bhaichung leads dazzling display – Nehru Cup – India demolish Kyrgyzstan 3–0 to make final for first time". The Telegraph (Kolkata). Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  9. ↑ "SAFF Cup: India beat Afghanistan 2–1 in final to lift title for seventh time". The Indian Express. 3 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "About Us-Introduction to BluePilgrims". bluepilgrims.com. 2 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. 1 2 Dyuti Palit, Arka (2 October 2017). "Blue Tigers find support in Blue Pilgrims". AIFF. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. ↑ "Blue Pilgrims are delighted to announce further collaborations for the game vs Bangladesh in VYBK". Blue Pilgrims. Twitter. 22 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Haji, Irfan (3 June 2018). "Blue Pilgrims right behind Men in Blues". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 Upadhyay, Suyash (29 November 2017). "Blue Pilgrims, the 12th man of Indian football". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. 1 2 "List of Blue Pilgrims chants (with lyrics) Part 1". Indian football Ultras. YouTube. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  16. ↑ "List of Blue Pilgrims chants (with lyrics) Part 2". Indian football Ultras. YouTube. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  17. 1 2 Chaudhary, Srijon (12 June 2018). "Intercontinental Cup 2018: 5 things India gained from the Intercontinental Cup". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  18. ↑ "Watch: Sunil Chhetri leads incredible Viking clap with Indian fans post Thailand AFC Asian Cup win". Fox Sports Asia. 7 January 2019. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  19. ↑ "Inquilab-e-Indian football". Blue Pilgrims. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  20. ↑ "Sunil Chhetri's plea to Indian fans marked as Golden Tweet by Twitter India". India Today. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  21. 1 2 Premchandran, Dileep (6 June 2018). "Chhetri called and the Indian football fans answered". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  22. ↑ "After Sunil Chhetri's plea, tickets for India game sold out". The Hindu. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  23. ↑ Vasudevan, Shyam (10 June 2018). "Blue Pilgrims plans 3D tifo display for Chhetri and co". The Hindu. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  24. ↑ Khan, Kabeer (12 June 2018). "From a handful to plenty". The Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  25. ↑ "Blue Pilgrims face ire over banner calling out AIFF's mishandling of Indian football". The Fan Garage. 14 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  26. 1 2 3 "Indian football: A country divided". Adam LeRoux. YouTube. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  27. 1 2 3 "Football Doesn't Matter, Money Does,' fans protest AIFF's plan to snub I-League clubs". Outlook India. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  28. 1 2 3 "Indian football at a precarious juncture". The Economic Times. 9 April 2019. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  29. ↑ Joe joseph, Reuben (20 October 2019). "ISL returns, as Indian football continues to flounder". The Week. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Modak, Sourav (9 April 2019). "Neroca threaten to shut down club". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  31. ↑ Srinivas, Arjun (17 October 2019). "How are ISL clubs faring off the field?". The Live Mint. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Vasudevan, Shyam (21 September 2019). "I-League to begin on November 16, status on AFC Cup slot still unclear". The Hindu. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  33. ↑ "'Save Indian Football' – six I-League clubs appeal To FIFA President Gianni Infantino". Outlook India. 23 July 2019. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  34. ↑ "Work closely with AIFF for solution: FIFA to I-League clubs". India Today. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  35. 1 2 "Indian football legend Dr Talimeren Ao's family thanks Blue Pilgrims for their heartfelt homage". The Fan Garage. 7 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  36. ↑ "Blue Pilgrims Tifo,Guwahati: India's first football captain -Talimeren Ao". The Footy Traveller. YouTube. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  37. ↑ "1948 Olympics tournament India vs France". FIFA. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  38. ↑ Sen, Ronojoy (20 July 2012). "London, 1948: India's first Olympics as an independent nation". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  39. ↑ "Indian Football History". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  40. ↑ "FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers, IND vs BAN: Igor Stimac wants full house in football-mad Kolkata when India host Bangladesh". Outlook India. 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  41. ↑ Ghosh, Soumo (13 October 2019). "The Beautiful game, the City of Joy, and a much-awaited International 'Derby'". AIFF. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  42. ↑ Sengupta, Ayon (17 September 2019). "Kolkata derby: A pilgrimage for football fans". The Hindu. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  43. ↑ Chakraborty, Subhayan (13 October 2019). "Mecca Cholo Bondhu! Rival fans join forces to back Blue Tigers against Bangladesh". The Times Now. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  44. ↑ Ojha, Chiranjit (13 October 2019). "Country over club – East Bengal, Mohun Bagan fans unite to support the Indian football team". The Fan Garage. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  45. ↑ "Kolkata, We have never witnessed anything like you". Blue Pilgrims. Twitter. 17 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  46. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Atrayo (22 October 2019). "Indian Football Fans: How the Blue Tigers United Rivals". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  47. ↑ "Blue Pilgrims Collaboration Tifo fund – India vs Bangladesh". milaap.org. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  48. ↑ "Blue Tigers thank Kolkata for turning up in numbers". AIFF. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  49. ↑ "Preliminary joint Qualification: 2022 World Cup & 2023 AFC Asian Cup- IND vs BAN". stats.the-afc.com. AFC. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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