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#1 Clampdown on drums, chants etc in stadium

Fans were not allowed to enter with drums

The ISLgained popularity among the fans because of its better marketing and promotion than the I-League. Thousands of spectators filled in the stadiums in the first three seasons. However, from the fourth season, the spectator numbers dipped suddenly due to the poor quality of football. To make the situation better, the ISL came out with a new slogan #FanBannaPadega at the start of the season, hoping to attract more fans to the stadium.

With new slogan came new problems. The security personnel started acting bossy and turned back the fans who brought drums with them. Even worse, the fans couldn’t chant for their team in the gallery.

In an incident in Delhi narrated by a fan, several bouncers asked fans to behave properly while they were chanting for their team.

These incidents are common in Southern part of the country, where a match of Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC or Kerala Blasters’ draw a large number of people. Bengaluru were recently fined Rs 15 Lakh for obscene chants against the referee.

This brought a bad reputation to the league and the security staff started clamping down on anything they thought that would hamper the league's image.

The league should, however, think of prioritising the fans above everything else.