'Sunil Chhetri Goals Good For Business': 'First Copy' Jersey Sellers And Their Prays For Star Indian Forward To Shine in Guwahati

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A certain Sandip Kumar Shit has been praying for Sunil Chhetri to score goals ever since the star Indian forward went on a dry spell from October last year.

After all Sandip's income, as an unofficial or 'first copy' Indian team jersey seller or hawker, is directly proportionate to the money he makes on how the national team captain performs on the field at the end of the day.

"Sunil Chhetri's goals are good for business," says Sandip while pointing at the back of one of his jerseys outside the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

"For every 100 jerseys we sell, 80 to 90 of them want Sunil Chhetri's blue jerseys. We rarely find anyone asking for any other Indian footballer's name. At best, they may ask for a one with no name printed at the back."

For somebody, who is thronging football stadia across the country while following the Indian football team, Kolkata-based Shil has rarely missed an Indian match in the last decade.

In fact, he's not alone as hoards of hawkers, mostly from the city of joy, booked their rail tickets to Guwahati months in advance for the latest India-Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match.

These hawkers, who mostly are suppliers to Kolkata's Maidan Market -- a go-to place for city's football fans and local footballers for jerseys and sports apparel -- like to reach a particular venue as soon as the national team does. They could be found selling the jerseys somewhere around Rs 200-400 from a day or two before the match but the prices may almost double on the matchday, especially if Sunil Chhetri wins the day.

"Last year when Sunil Chhetri scored a hat-trick against Pakistan at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru (during SAFF Championships), there was a huge demand and fans were willing to pay up to Rs 700 for the jersey," says another hawker Swapnil Borah, also from Kolkata.

But will that be the case in Guwahati? Especially when the Indian football team has gone without a goal in their last five matches. Not to forget that the yearly razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League has engulfed the country and may draw the crowd away.

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Another hawker Arindam (35) begs to differ: "Indian football fans always show up irrespective of IPL. We have done good business in the past in Guwahati. Local crowd and fans from nearby NorthEast states always come in numbers, especially Meghalaya and Manipur."

There's no shortage of excitement among Assamese fans too as myKhel caught up with a brother-sister duo of Swapnil (27) and Pinakee Borah (25), who came from Jorhat (300kms from Guwahati) to watch the national team in action.

"I have watched matches at the venue in the past but never really bought the jersey before as money is always an issue in my student days. But I always wanted to watch an Indian match in the Indian blue as I saw fans around me do the same," says Swapnil, who just completed his MBBS.

While the footfall at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium increased for tickets with hours to go for the match, the number of hawkers, who usually do business at such football venues, is far less in comparison to non-IPL days as many of them are focussing on selling jerseys at the Eden Gardens. Those who made it to Guwahati, are hoping to make merry due to less competition.

"IPL and cricket jersey-selling business are of course much more stable as there are several matches throughout the year," says Khokon Dhal (50), also from Kolkata. "A lot of jerseys get sold during India and IPL matches but there are lot of hawkers selling too. That's why some of us came here, hoping to make the most out of the less competition."

However, with rain and thunderstorms expected to play spoilsport on the day with as fans may not show up, are the hawkers worried about their business taking a hit? Sandeep Shit remained hopeful.

"Irrespective of the weather, fans often does show up because the Indian football team doesn't play matches regularly. This is the last time you watch them play in months (the next game is in June). But there will always be good and bad days in any business, we don't worry about it too much because we move on to the next game right after!" concludes Shit, who came prepared in his raincoat.