Fans remain the real stars of Asian football

India - Numerous fan groups across Asia have made their mark over the years, with many more having made their presence felt inside and outside the stadium via different means.
The Koreans captivated the imagination of the world during the 2002 World Cup Finals but the East Asians, currently enjoying success at all levels in Asia, is just the latest of a long line of supporter groups who have consistently shown their verve and character in both good and tough times.
Not content with showing their love on the stands, many fan groups have set up websites to further enhance their reputation while games are not being played.
A few notable sites include the Japan supporters group Ultra Nippon and the immensely popular www.reddevil.or.kr, the official website of the Korean Red Devils. Others such as www.persianfootball.com and www.ittihadfans.com are also active observers of the Asian football scene, the quartet just one of many who have helped grow interest on the continent over the last few years.

Germany-based www.indianfootball.com is another prime example of how dedication and zeal can help propel interest in the domestic game. Indian football is consistently on the rise and some credit will have to go to the crew running www.indianfootball.com all the way from Germany.

"It is not always easy to run IndianFootball.Com sitting in Germany but it is fun for us as real Indian football fans and we enjoy our work," said IndianFootball.Com Editor-in-Chief Arunava Chaudhuri to www.the-afc.com.
There is little to argue Arunava's claim to be the Premier Indian football website. With a team of students scattered across Asia and Germany running the editorial duties, the site has grown enormously popular.

The website is running its Player of the Year Awards for the third year running, awards such as Player of the year, Foreign player of the year, Rookie of the year, Coach of the year and Team of the year all chosen by fans and fans only.
"The response so far has been phenomenal, so we hope it continues that way," added Arunava. "But as the response is the way it is, we are working currently on a separate IFC Awards site.

"So maybe our dream of organising an IndianFootball.Com Awards Gala evening to present the winners trophies is closer than we thought. But still, we would have to get a budget of around $20,000 together.
"So lets see if sponsors come forward."

For in-depth coverage of the Indian football scene, please log onto www.indianfootball.com.

Here the direct link to the article on the www.the-afc.com site.