Friendly banter or abuse? Bengaluru FC fans hurt Kerala Blasters star Rino Anto

Bengaluru FC fans were a happy group at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday, August 23, as their side crushed North Korea's 4.25 SC 3-0 in the first leg of AFC Cup 2017 inter-zonal semi-final.

Among the group of fans were former BFC stars Rino Anto and CK Vineeth, who have joined Kerala Blasters for the 2017/18 Indian Super League season.

The duo, who had come to support their former side, though was in for a surprise as Bengaluru fans came up with chants against the Blasters, the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned ISL franchise.

While many on social media saw it as a friendly banter between the home fans and their former players, Rino has revealed he has been "deeply hurt" by the incident.

The 29-year-old, who had spent four seasons with Bengaluru FC, said he had ignored messages from his colleagues and went to support his former club. Rino added he does not want such incidents to repeat in the future.

A few of the Kerala Blasters fans also seemed to have been hurt by the incident as they took to social media to express their disappointment. One of Kerala Blasters' fan groups, Manjapadda, wrote on Facebook that the Blasters fans will fill the Sree Kanteerava Stadium during the ISL match between Bengaluru FC and Blasters, later this year.

On the other hand, Vineeth, who had been a fan favourite at Bengaluru during his three-year stint from 2014 to 2017, saw the lighter side of the banter and said he had taken the incident in the "right spirit".

"Things like these, rivalries and the energy that comes from it, only makes football more exciting. And I feed off it. I had a great time with the West Block Blues for the last three and a half years and I am sure I will have more of it when I am back in the yellow of Kerala Blasters," Vineeth said.

Nonetheless, expect some fierce rivalry between two Southern giants, who are packing some serious firepower to the squad ahead of the upcoming ISL season.