AS the thrills, frills and suspense that come with the English Premier League (EPL) resume today in far away England, supporters of premiership clubs across the country are set for those unimaginable things they do to prove their support for their preferred clubs. Already, they have started talking tough, arguing and boasting about their respective clubs’ chances of lifting the coveted trophy at the end of the season.
The story is told of a man who had to throw his wife down through the window of their apartment in the upper floor of a storey building because his wife blocked the television when he would not give her the attention she desired. A few years ago, The Nation reported the story of an Arsenal fan who went into coma after he was stabbed by a fan of a rival club. He regained consciousness in the hospital the following day and the first thing he said was ‘Up Gunners!’
Over the years, the league has enjoyed large following among football lovers in the country, pitting children against their parents and husbands against their wives because of the gap the penchant for watching the games sometimes create on the home front.
Some followers of the EPL who spoke with our correspondent revealed the pains and risks they have had to endure to sustain their support for their various clubs.
Solomon Adeoye, a university don who never liked football, revealed how he too became a follower of the premiership in the bid to rescue his son from his lust for football.
Adeoye said: “I never liked football for any reason, not to talk of being a follower of the English Premiership. Incidentally, the urgent need to guide my son forced me to become one.
“It all began on a day I went to visit him in school. When I got there and asked after him, the name I called did not sound familiar to his colleagues. They were all wondering who the person could be.
“Suddenly, one of them, as if he had just woken up from sleep, asked, “Is it Gerard?” I was stupefied but I managed to hide my shock. Immediately, they ran to inform him that I was around. When he came, he was shocked to see me.
“I had another round of shock when I went into his room and discovered that his life was built around the club. His books, wall, chair and table were covered with Liverpool logo and colour. Everything around him revolved around the premiership and his club to the extent that his education was secondary.
“It was then I realised that I had lost my son to football and Liverpool, and that was why he distanced himself from me. I was detached from his world and wanted him to live in mine.”
He continued: “The look on his face showed that he was expecting me to rebuke him, but I still chose to keep quiet, pondering in my heart what I would do next. All through my stay with him, I said nothing about it.
“When I left, I thought that the best way to win him was to be like him. Thereafter, I decided to choose a rival club to follow, and the club I chose was Manchester United.
“Because I knew nothing about them, I went to buy books and other relevant materials about the club. I also did online studies to know all their players and their histories and read about other clubs too.
“When he came home one weekend, I told him that my club would defeat his. Incidentally, the two clubs were playing on that day. When I said that, he was shocked, looking at me with a kind of surprise because he had never heard me discussing football before. I went further to tell him the names of the players, the coaches and their history.
“At that point, he got tickled and sat joyfully beside me with his eyes widely opened to hear more. Before I could finish delighting him with details of the league, he woke up from his bewilderment and vivaciously engaged me in sizzling argument about the premiership.
“We spoke like age mates and friends and from there. Our relationship became very cordial and he began to accept my advice on the need for him to make his education his priority. Today, he enjoys both football and his studies and we are all better for it.”
It was a different kettle of fish for Ibrahim Olawale, a Chelsea fan who relived how he was beaten to pulp by fans of a rival team because he sang the praise of his team.
He said: “I love my team a lot and would not stop at anything to continue to support them. If there would have been any reason for me to stop supporting them, it would have been in 2008 when I was brutally dealt with by fans of Manchester United and Arsenal.
“I had gone to watch the European Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich and was singing the praise of my team when the Man U and Arsenal fans got angry and descended on me. They beat and inflicted severe injury on me for daring to sing the praise of Chelsea, which they wanted to lose the match.
“My love for the team is so deep that I fell ill after the club lost the 2008 final. I also fell ill when we lost the FA Cup to Blackburn Rovers last season.
“I could not comprehend why we could lose to a lowly rated team like Blackburn. I was completely overwhelmed by the thought and ended up falling sick because of it.
“I can never wish to overcome the passion because of the challenges that come with it. I am incurably in love with it and there is nothing anybody can do about it.”
As a final year student in the university, Samson Oyeniyi, a self professed diehard fan of Arsenal, spoke about how he risked his academic success to watch the Gunners, as the club is fondly called.
“I was to write my final paper and Arsenal was to play the day before that. Instead of reading to pass the examination, I left my books and went to watch Arsenal play. It was after the match that I started reading. I was not used to reading at night but I had to keep vigil to read to avoid failure. So I kept my legs in a bucket of water just to stay awake.
“It may appear silly, but I couldn’t help the situation. I certainly would not have concentrated if I had decided to read during the day.
“Before that very day, a lecturer in my school was always fixing lectures for the time premiership matches would be played. Incidentally, football matches were always televised with a large projector in my school in Ghana, such that you could watch every bit of the game from any distance. Each time the lecturer was teaching us, we would be peeping from the window to watch the matches. Seeing that our concentration was always poor, he stopped the classes and never attempted to fix lectures any time matches were to be played.”
Rilwan Olaiwola, a Man U fan, narrated how his love for the club has on several occasions made him to wager with monies meant to execute jobs for his clients. Although he has lost the bets on many occasions, he says nothing would stop him from believing and staking his money for the club.
He said: “I love my club and also love Real Madrid because of Christian Ronaldo. I can bet with anything I have on these two. I don’t hesitate to bet whenever anybody doubts the ability of the club or Ronaldo.
“These two are no-go areas for me. I have placed heavy bets on them several times. I won on some occasions and lost on some others. Even if I had lost all, I would not be deterred from further betting because of them.
“Whenever my clubs win major trophies, I organise parties for my friends to celebrate it.”
He added: “At home, my wife supports Chelsea while my son supports Arsenal. Whenever Arsenal and Man U would clash, my son would come and tell me that he would beat me very well. He and the mother always make jest of me whenever my clubs lose and I always don’t feel good about it.”
Another supporter of Chelsea who gave his name as Iroko recalled how he had to lie to his pastor to watch a league match.
He said: “It is not good to tell lies, especially in the house of God. But I had to do so one day to watch my darling team play. Sincerely, I don’t allow anything to affect my watching Chelsea matches. I may miss others but I would never miss a match involving Chelsea for any reason.
“One day, my pastor wanted me to wait for a meeting while Chelsea was billed to play. When I checked the time the meeting would start and end, I found that it would prevent me from watching the match. I thought of what to do and came up with a lie that would make him to release me. I simply told him that I was going to have a crucial meeting with another pastor in the other parish. When he had that, he said I should go immediately.
“Apart from my pastor, I have also told lies to my wife several times just to watch Chelsea’s matches. At times, I would be in our neighbourhood watching the team’s match on my way from work. She would call to know where I was and I would move away from the commentary area and tell her that I was held up in traffic.
“She always wants me to stay back in the house with her when I am supposed to be watching my team. It is all borne out of my love for the game. If my son does the same, I will not be angry because it is a prank I have also been playing.”
For Fatai Olawale, another Chelsea fan, failing to watch the club’s matches would be tantamount to sin.
He said: “If I don’t have money to eat, I must have money to watch Chelsea’s matches. If I don’t have money to watch full time, I must do everything possible to save N50 to watch the second half. I don’t joke with this at all.
“If for any reason I don’t have money to go to a viewing centre, my wife’s phone would be in trouble. After running down my phone’s battery following live commentary, I would descend on hers, exhaust her money and run the battery down. It is always causing frictions, but there is nothing she can do about it.
“Football is part of my life and I doubt if anything can separate us. In fact, as a Moslem, if I have to say my prayers and Chelsea has a match, I would put the prayer aside to watch the match and later come back to pray.”
