Soccer fever

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is only a day away and football fanatics all over Kerala are on a high. Welcoming the quadrennial tournament, football fans in the state are celebrating the frenzy in every crazy manner possible. Each local fan club from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod is competing with the other by offering a makeover to their premises. From erecting huge flex boards and flags of their favourite team, to decorating their homes, vehicles, shops, compound walls and even wells, announcing their loud support to their favourite team and players, the fans are cheering for the game. In the Malabar area, famous for its football frenzy, fans have already built huge tents for night-long match screenings.

Jackfruits painted in Argentine flag colours.

 

With bakeries bringing out theme cakes for each team and salons offering special haircuts for the best players, the festive mood has captured the state.
Sakku Bhai, who has painted his motorcycle in ‘Brazilian’ colors, is sure that his favourite team will bounce back after their infamous defeat of 7-1 against Germany in the Rio World Cup semifinal. “I have always supported the team and we have a strong team, capable of winning. Last time, I had hoisted Brazil flags in front of the shopping mall I work at. Football takes over everything here and I think it is time to celebrate every moment,” he says.

 

 

For Kochiite Aroon Bhanu, who is known by the name Munna, the love for his team Argentina and his favourite player Lionel Messi is so huge that he has his whole arm tattooed with Messi’s name, his jersey number and initials.  “This is perhaps Messi’s final world cup and I hope he will help Argentina lift the cup,” says Munna, who works in a ship design firm at Kakkanad and never misses any club matches or tournaments of his idol. 

 

During his days as an engineering student, Munna was the college team captain and nothing – career or family – has affected his love for the game. He bounced back from the knee ligament fractures he suffered thrice followed by surgeries and therapies. “I would never give up football; that enthusiasm has helped me recuperate from injuries each time,” says the 49-year-old, who has formed a football team named Veterans with his friends. He has passed on the craze to his fourth-grader daughter Tanvi, who too plays football. Ask about his dream, pat comes the reply, “That I’d meet Messi one day at Barcelona!”

 

 

 

The Nainamvalappu Football Fans’ Association in Kozhikode is notorious for being football crazy. Be it the World Cup, Euro Cup or Copa America, these fans have celebrated all of these like their own festivals. FIFA even recognised their love for the sport by sending a memorabilia. N.V. Subair, president of the association, says, “Nipah virus had caused a lull as we were advised to stay away from public places. But now the fear is thwarted and the jovial mood is back. There will be open screenings and local football tournaments this time too during the world cup season. We all are eagerly waiting for the matches to begin.” 

 

In Kerala, the Argentina-Brazil fan rivalry is as (in)famous as the ikka-ettan fan fight, the effects of which have extended to the online world too. Memes and trolls against Brazil and Argentina teams are widely circulated. German, French, English and Spanish football fans too reign in the virtual war zone. With Liverpool star Mohammed Salah getting a cult status, banners supporting team Egypt have also sprung up. Meanwhile, Portugal has drawn its fan base from Cristiano Ronaldo fans.

“Even though I like Germany more, our football madness is a deep passion for all the players. Regardless of our favourite team, we love to openly express it,” says Azhad P.M, a Kozhikode native and a German team follower. With artistic makeovers and enthusiasm at its zenith, fans all over the state have started the countdown to the first whistle and kickoff.