22-year-old Amitoje Singh Kohli lives in Delhi, India and for almost half of his life, he has been closely following Manchester City. The youngster’s love for the club was cemented almost ten years ago after two sparkling displays from the team against arch-rivals Manchester United.
“It was the 2011/12 season, my first season following football and City properly,” he narrates.
“City humbled United 6-1 at Old Trafford and my prayers were finally answered with a new team finally pushing United to their limits. I’ve supported City ever since.
“United then faced City at the Etihad, which was City’s big chance to win our first Premier League title. Any result other than a win would have cemented a Premier League win for the Red Devils.
“And then stepped up the leader Vincent Kompany! A thunderous header from the skipper won us the game, putting us ahead of United on goal difference.”
There are hundreds of great memories just like those associated with City but for Official Manchester City Delhi Supporters Club member Amitoje, who lives more than 4,000 miles away from the Etihad Stadium, many of those memories are still sinking in.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has meant many people have been enjoying the comfort of their homes more than usual, but the youngster is using his time wisely to make himself familiar with some of the club’s greatest moments.
“I have limited knowledge about the rich history of this club under the Joe Mercer era,” he admits.
“So, at the moment, I am reading a few books to get to know more about our past. Also, I’m improving my knowledge of the tactical side of the game by studying about the tactics deployed by many successful teams in the past.”
The Citizen also made it clear that he is keen to encourage the next generations to support City, especially after his experience of backing the club for a large chunk of his life.
“I think it is very important to encourage the future generations to support a football club which you have yourself supported growing up,” he added.
“Back when I was young, I never had a perspective on which club to support as my entire family were big cricket fans.
“I had to find a club to support which in theory sounds pretty vague considering you support a club out of emotion, which I ultimately did.
"Thus, I feel that if we can encourage our future generations to be City fans, they will actually feel a sense of attachment with the club.”
[The article was originally published on Manchester City's Official Website]
