In India, the classic between Argentina and Brazil lives the same – or worse – than in South America. This was demonstrated in a recent viral video by a brawl in the streets of Kerala between fans of both teams.
In the images we see several fans with the jerseys of Brazil and Argentina who intertwine with fists and sticks in the middle of the street.
According to the Mathrubhumi outlet, the event occurred at sakthikulangaraa site located in Kerala, and was investigated by police after videos started circulating on social media.
Passion for football in South India
The fight between fans in Kerala is in keeping with the unconditional love of the Indian state’s inhabitants for the two most powerful South American teams.
Recently, in Kerala, two giant figures of Lionel Messi and Neymar were seen placed in the middle of the water. But that was just a demonstration of the Indians’ passion for Argentina and Brazil: the streets of the state are full of billboards with photos of the players, there are flags everywhere and people wear the jerseys of both countries every day .
According to the 28-year-old businessman Muhammad Basit, who spoke to Al Jazeera about the phenomenon, the Argentine team is much more rooted in its land than the Brazilian one. However, he believes that since 1998 “Verdeamarela” have more fans – many of them young – than Argentina due to their recent World Cup wins.
“A lot of younger fans are rooting for Brazil because Argentina haven’t won the World Cup since 1986. But the rooting for Argentina goes much deeper,” said Basith.
He added, “People like to portray stars as larger than life characters in Kerala and that goes for movie stars as well. But the footballers connect with them on another level, especially those from Brazil and Argentina.”
The entrepreneur also underlined that in Kerala there is football because it is not a highly urbanized area.
“That means there’s a lot of empty space and when crops aren’t planted, those spaces become imperfect football pitches for children and young people. Not being highly urbanized means people generally have more free time on their hands,” she said.
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.