PTI
New Delhi, Jul 5: What to do if your favourite team is out of the World Cup? For the football lovers in India, with their own country nowhere in contention, it is slightly easier -- they can now start cheering for some other team which is left in the fray.
While some have decided to support the team which will play good soccer, others -- looking for 'revenge' -- are eager to see the defeat of those which ousted their favourites.
For a few hardcore Brazil fans in soccer-crazy Kolkata, the exit of the Selecao meant the end of watching the World Cup. However, in Brazil itself, people are said to be turning to Portugal, a team coached by compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Frustrated England supporters have another idea to get over the World Cup blues -- travelling abroad.
Holiday firms reported bookings increasing by 35 per cent as fans prepare to cheer themselves up with weekend trips. But demand for one travel destination has declined -- Portugal is not in the itinerary of the English tourists after their team's quarterfinal ouster at the hands of Luis Figo's boys.
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said to be a Germany fan, dropped plans to attend the World Cup final after the hosts' defeat to Italy, local media reported.
Religious groups are offering brokenhearted fans another option - turn to God instead of soccer.
"When your team wins, you can feel great; when your team loses, you can feel terrible...If soccer is your source of happiness, then your life can go up and down. There is just one source of peace and joy that doesn't change -- and that is God," says a messege posted on the website of a Christian outreach organization.