Rivalries give life to football: Hume
MUMBAI: It’s not football if everyone is friendly with each other all the time. Football is a little bit about rivalries and the banter, it’s healthy.
IAIN HUME, on rivalries in football
Two-time finalists Kerala Blasters will look to exhibit an attacking football according to assistant-manager Thangboi Singto. “Kerala Blasters would like to play an attacking brand of football. We have to be cautious as well and ultimately the goal is to win games,” said Singto, relfceting on the ideologies of head coach Rene Meulensteen.
Judging from their pre-season campaign in Spain, Singto says Kerala boast of a well-balanced squad. “Rene has built a balanced team. We have the likes of (Dimitar) Berbatov and Wes Brown and (Iain) Hume on one hand, and then there’s the young Indian talent,” he said.
“In the first season, Kerala were preseason favourites, so it favourites mean nothing. People have their favourites, for people from Kolkata it will be ATK, people from Kerala will believe it’s us. It’s a gambling man’s choice,” said Hume.
On his return to the Blasters, where he spent the inaugural season of the ISL, leading them to the final, Hume said: “It’s brilliant being back. The fans have always supported me when I played in Kochi (even when he played for ATK). Other teams know that Kochi isn’t a nice place to play because the sound in the stadium is deafening. So to know that I’m playing for them again and that they’re on my side is definitely a massive positive.”
Blasters are set to give birth to a new rivalry in Indian football when they meet the new ISL entrants, Bengaluru FC, who have already made their name in by winning the I-League in their first year and qualifying for the AFC Cup semifinals on two occasions. And Hume believes that such geographically based rivalries will enhance the game.
“It’s football! So it should have rivalries provided it doesn’t get personal. This would be similar to the one that exists between ATK and Blasters because they are seen as the two best-supported teams,” said Hume.
“It’s not football if everyone is friendly with each other all the time. Football is a little bit about rivalries and the banter, it’s healthy for football. Provided that things are safe, it will only make the game better.”
Talking about his new attacking partner and Kerala’s biggest signing Berbatov, Hume said: “He’s a nice guy. We have trained together a couple of times. We all know how good he is, how good he was and how good he will always be. It’s great to play with him.”