Five hours ahead of Sunday's NorthEast United FC vs Kerala Blasters FC ISL game, the Kochi-based side uploaded a temporary profile picture on Facebook. It showed the famous tusker of the club logo on an orange background. Traditionally, the Kerala Blasters logo is yellow and blue colours.
The picture received mixed reactions from the fans of the club on social media. Many pointed out that playing around the logo and badge of the club is not a good practice as it is part of the team's identity. Some other fans jokingly asked if the club was embracing a political stand as the saffron/orange shades are associated with Hindutva outfits.
But why did the Kerala Blasters social media team upload an orange icon on their pages? The photo was a means to mark the first away game of the team in the ongoing ISL season. After playing two consecutive games at the Kaloor Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, KBFC travelled to Guwahati on Sunday to take on the recently-crowned Durand Cup champions NEUFC.
They entered the pitch donning their third kit which is white and orange in colour. The second kit of the club is dominantly blue with thin yellow stripes. However, it was the third kit that was being used in the game against the Highlanders.
Many netizens were seen explaining this fact to others who were taken aback by the sudden colour change.
Kerala Blasters squad for NEUFC game: Sachin, Naocha, Drincic, Pritam, Sandeep, Vibin, Coeff, Noah, Danish, Rahul, Jiménez
Subs: Nora, Hormipam, Saheef, Luna, Peprah, Bryce, Aimen, Yoihenba, Azhar