Kerala Blasters give in to fan protest, but Manjappada says its 'not good enough'

Kerala Blasters' biggest fan group, Manjappada, is unlikely to back off from protesting against the management despite the club making a fresh signing in the open transfer window. Manjappada made it clear that it expects the club to add more quality to the squad, a demand it had repeatedly raised since mid-December when the Blasters witnessed a slump.

"Appreciate the effort in bringing him in to address our team’s challenges. Still room for growth – looking forward to more domestic additions. We’re aiming to be the best in the league, not just good enough," Manajappada posted in response to the club's transfer update on the signing of Dusan Lagator. "When the fans speak, history is made," Manjappada had posted earlier, welcoming the Montenegrin midfielder to the club.

Fresh signings are one of the main demands by Manjappada. 'Substantial improvements in the Indian squad', 'signing of quality players and leaders in key positions', and 'results the show management is listening to the fans' are the other major demands. On that count, the club has not met the Manjappada's expectations as while Lagator has been added to the squad, at least five players have left in one month. Australian striker Jaushua Sotirio, whose two-year spell at the Blasters was disrupted by injuries, finally left the club in December, while winger Rahul K P ended his eventful five years, making a permanent switch to Odisha FC. Saurav Mandal, Bryce Miranda and Prabir Das also left on loan.

The Manjappada has been holding banners and placards both inside and outside the venues, demanding answers from the club's Hyderabad-based management. The state police prevented the Manjappada from taking out a rally outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on January 13.

'Fans have right to protest'
Meanwhile, the Blasters issued a statement claiming it had no role in hindering the fan protest. "At the outset, the club would like to strongly reinforce the fact that it has no power to instruct the state’s police force on their understanding and acting in certain situations to maintain law and order. The club also places on record that the police intervention was not instructed by the club, as we are not a part of the law and order mechanism which is handled by much more competent and independent authorities.

"As part of their role, the authorities as instructed by relevant government bodies based on their individual judgement have to act to maintain law and order at public and ticketed events where certain incidents might cause disruptions and spark untoward incidents.

"The club firmly believes in the right of fans to express their opinions peacefully, without restrictions and has never suppressed the same in safe zones which do not infringe on the experience and safety in public spaces. The narrative being widely spread in the public domain regarding the Club instructing the police forces to carry out certain actions is wrong, misleading and baseless. The club shall investigate, probe and take appropriate action against those maligning its image with such accusations," the Blasters posted.

After the recent 3-2 win over Odisha in Kochi, which was the Blasters' third victory in four matches, the Manjappada posted: "Good teams have their days; great teams dominate seasons. You can block the protests, but you can’t hide the truth: this team needs quality." The Manjappada has not announced further protests, but it has also not given an indication regarding backing out. The Blasters host NorthEast United in Kochi on January 18 (Saturday).