Kerala cut-outs kick off World Cup fever
SOUTHERN INDIAN STATE’S LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME ‘ON FULL DISPLAY’
FOOTBALL frenzy is peaking in ‘paradoxical’ Kerala ahead of the World Cup as huge cutouts of star players Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Cristiano Ronaldo erected in the state have grabbed worldwide attention.
As the marquee tournament kicks off in Qatar later this week, football mania has gripped the southern Indian state and fan pages, largely celebrating South American nations dominating the sport, have started going viral.
Kerala, which is known for its love for football, captured global attention last week when a group of Argentinian football team fans in
Pullavoor village erected a 30-foot-tall cutout of Messi over a small islet in the river.
But if Argentina is there, can Brazil be left behind? Kerala’s Brazil fans erected a 40-foot-tall cutout of Neymar Jr along the banks of the river, spicing up the contest between the supporters of the two stars.
But it didn’t take long for Messi and Neymar Jr to be overshadowed by yet another over 45-foot tall Cristiano Ronaldo cut-out wearing a Portugal jersey. The fans have used the widely shared image of him preparing for a free kick at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA tweeted a picture of the cutouts, saying World Cup “fever has hit Kerala.” The state’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, thanked the world football body for “acknowledging our unmatched passion for the sport”.
Kerala’s love for football is “on full display” with the World Cup around, he said in a tweet.
“These cut-outs have been widely shared by the official fan pages of Argentina and Brazil,” ET Nibinraj, a resident from a nearby area, said.
According to local politician PV Sreenijan, who is also the president of District Sports Council in Ernakulam district and an office bearer of its football association, the football history of the country has greatly influenced the people of Kerala.
“The Mohun Bagan and East Bengal clubs along with the 1973 Santosh Trophy win among other factors attracted a whole generation towards football. Keralites are also big fans of (Diego) Maradona, Pele. The history of Argentina and the literature on Latin American football was readily available to Keralites through books and newspapers,” Sreenijan told reporters, while tracing the community’s love for the game.
A popular social media handle, @ Advaidism, who is an ardent Arsenal fan, said the passion for football was so high in Kerala that before each FIFA World Cup, half of the people in the state support Brazil while the other half root for Argentina.
“Kerala is a paradoxical Indian state where football is far more popular than cricket. It hosted the Santosh Trophy in the 1950s and won it in 1970s. Kerala enjoyed a golden age from 1985 to 1995 by making it to Santhosh Trophy finals seven times consecutively and football became an iconic sport ever since in the south Indian state,” said the social media influencer who did not wish to be identified.
In 2021, when Argentina lifted the Copa America cup, the streets of Kerala were as charged as any Latin American street.
ESPN Argentina then shared a video of Argentina fans in Kerala celebrating their team’s success.