What happens when football returns without fans?

Remember the buzz of Anfield singing 'You'll never walk alone'? Or the whole Camp Nou shouting out 'Forca Barca'? Or the huge tifos the Dortmund fans unveiled at the Signal Iduna Park? 

Well, forget that for now. The coronavirus pandemic saw all kinds of sporting events halted for more than a couple of months. But finally, the Bundesliga, one of Europe's top five leagues, will be returning on May 16. 

But everything comes with a price. And football's price to pay is the empty galleries. The players will have to fight each other in a pit where there is nobody to watch, nobody to cheer them or even boo them. 

And it is not just football. When cricket or any other sport returns, they will have to accept this fate for quite some time. 

What will happen to football when there is no crowd? Where does football or cricket go from here? 

Football becomes a little duller

Well, anyone who has ever viewed the game would accept that fans make the game even more interesting than it is. Forget the tactical implications, the individual flashes of brilliance, the cheering is what makes the game feel alive. 

Due to the Catalan independence movement, Barcelona had to play a game under closed doors against Las Palmas in the 2017-18 season. And that was nothing but dull. It was Barcelona, there was Lionel Messi, they scored three goals to seal the victory but the game was simply dull. 

And this is going to happen. Even though it is a great relief that football is finally returning, it will not return with the same level of ecstasy.  

The competitiveness takes a hit too

Accept it or not, crowds are a huge factor when it comes to talking about competitiveness. When there are people in the crowd chanting your name or even booing you, the players feel the urge to prove a point. 

And that is what makes home and away games interesting. It forces the teams to endure their rival fans once and have their own fans on their side once to win and that brings out the ultimate competitiveness among them. 

Even if cricketing superstars like Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes have said that empty stadiums would not hurt the competitiveness of cricket, football stays a different sport. And undoubtedly, fans are the 12th man of the teams and without them, the competitiveness of football will definitely take a hit. 

Finally, the importance of fans recognised 

Football fans have been called the 12th man of their side. Clubs like Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester United have often completed incredible comebacks because of the tremendous atmosphere their fans created for them. But still, the fans remain underappreciated. 

The sheer importance of fans will be finally recognised when they are struggling within the grasps of a pandemic. They will not be in the crowds but their presence will be felt. 

English fast-bowler Jofra Archer has said that the importance of the fans will be recognised by the empty venues and Kohli has said that the magic of packed stadiums will be missed. 

And in football's case, the situation will be a lot worse than that. But football is scarce these days and fans around the world will be relieved to get football back. But one thing is for sure, that the importance of the fans will be finally called upon. 

The return of football or sports might not be the extravagant celebration of freedom from a pandemic we all thought of. But the thing is, the beautiful game is returning to give us some joy and we should all be very, very grateful for that.