Daijiworld Media Network
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 24: As top football nations sweat it out in their mission to win the world's most prestigious FIFA cup, football fever has gripped Kerala, with fans who are crazy about the game painting houses, their vehicles and even jackfruits on trees in colours of their favourite football teams, basically Argentina and Brazil.
A couple in Kerala’s Kochi have painted their house in hues matching the Brazil’s flag and have shown their dedication towards the team by renaming their home as ‘House of Brazil’. To top it, their compound wall has pictures of the team players painted. Ladisalu, who owns the house along with her husband, said they built the theme house to set a stage for other fans to come and watch the match with them.
In Kollam, Sudheer a die-hard fan of the Brazil football team has spent in lakhs to paint his two storey house, his car and scooter in colours of the Brazilian flag. His car has pictures of the Brazil team footballers. The 41-year-old says he is referred to as ‘Brazil Sudheer’ by the people of Pallimukku and after the painting the name is bound to stay.
The frenzy and fandom has become a spectacle in the city. Be it roads or water pipes, fans have painted flags of the teams they are supporting. While it appears that Kerala football fans are largely divided between Argentina or Brazil, there are few who have pledged their support to Poland, Saudi Arabia and Spain and other teams.
The fans have also come out with anthems. Studio Mojo’s ‘Football’s own country’ has beautiful visuals that show people from different ages and identities playing and celebrating football.
Another six-member team of youngsters from Kochi have composed a peppy and upbeat theme song in Malayalam, enlivening the game spirit.
Nainam Valappu, off the Kozhikode coast, has some of football’s most fervent followers. Here, it’s a staple mix of team jerseys, fan wars fought on flex-boards and heated post-match debates. “It does get intense but we make sure that the arguments don’t lead to violence,” says N V Subair, president of the Nainam Valappu Football Fans Association to Deccan Herald.
Subair adds that fans are disappointed with the muted start. Argentina and Brazil drew with Iceland and Switzerland, respectively and Germany’s loss to Mexico but these are early days. Worse, Argentina played one of their poorest games against Croatia, after which a heartbroken Messi fan allegedly committed suicide.
In Thrissur, Jobin and Irene had an Argentina-themed wedding reception. Everything was decked in hallowed blue-and-white. Jobin is a die-hard Argentina fan and wanted to do something unique for his wedding. With the football season coinciding with his wedding, he felt it would be best if his wedding paid a tribute to the game and the team he loved.
Many restaurants and bars are organizing special screenings and some have even revamped menus in wake of the football season.
In a cricket-crazy India, Kerala is famed for its love for football and every four years, during the FIFA world cup, fans become innovative in showing their love for their stars and devotion towards the game.