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Messi’s Argentina or Neymar’s Brazil? The divide that divides football fans in India

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Like a phoenix, a 30-foot tall figure of Lionel Messi cut out of a foam PVC plate stands above a river flowing through the lush green hills of the southern Indian state of Kerala, an imposing symbol of a worldwide madness that knows no boundaries.

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The author of the tribute, Nousheer Nellikode, 35, is an unconditional fan of the Argentine team, of which Messi is captain. One of her brothers feels the same way about Brazil, another of the main contenders to win the Cup. Both teams now meet in Qatar, in the quarter-finals.

Divided family loyalties reflect a fiery rift in this football-loving part of India known as the Malabar, whose people adopted the sport from the British over a century ago, partly as a way to get revenge on their colonizers in a game of no consequence.

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India, a country with a passion for cricket, has a long history of poor football skills, having never qualified for the World Cup.

That is why the people of Kerala found an outlet abroad for their intense devotion to sport, first in Brazil with the rise of Pele in the 1950s and then in Argentina with the arrival of Diego Armando Maradona in the 1980s .

Flags, graffiti and gambling

Now, with football’s biggest event in full swing, waving flags of Argentina and Brazilhung in shops and roundabouts in the alleyways of coastal towns and villages.

Selfie stands set up by Brazilian fans feature cut-out figures of Neymar, the team’s flagship star. Sports shops sell Messi’s blue and white number 10 shirt, available in all sizes.

Graffiti paying homage to both teams adorn the walls of houses surrounded by coconut palms. Locals chat animatedly about matches and place bets on their favorite team in the tearooms. In one city, a magnified replica of a soccer ball floats in a serene lake.

In Nelikode’s case, his show of loyalty forced him to keep a secret for six months, even from his wife, given the particularly relevant place he had in mind for her.

During the World Cup, large cutout figures of star players can be found along the streets and other places in Kerala. “But inside the river, next to my childhood soccer field? It’s special for this city,” said Nellikode.

Nellikode, president of a local soccer club, and his team managed to raise nearly $250 to pay Messi’s fee, put up flags and help install a video screen on their home field to show World Cup matches.

A dedicated WhatsApp group for Argentina fans, with more than a hundred members, has not only helped them stay in touch, but has also mobilized them to fundraiser.

Even those who had migrated to the Middle East for work—there’s a large Kerala diaspora in the Gulf—sent money via online wire transfers.

One morning, a few days before the start of the World Cup, Nellikode ran off with his team to install the figure of Messi. He then challenged the Brazilian fans to match his show of support.

“You Brazil fans have no guts?” he told those who had gathered to see him and his friends erect the statue on a small patch of land in the river.

Among the attendees were his brothers Noufal, a Brazil fan, and Naveed, a Portugal fan (there are also a few in Kerala).

There were enough Brazilian fans to fund a figure of their own, a 40-foot-tall portrait of Neymar that was placed on the riverbank. But as there were only two Portugal fans in town, Naveed had to make an appeal through the local media.

Within days, Portuguese fans all over Kerala had sent nearly $300. “Shortly after that, we managed to fit a taller figure than Ronaldo close to Messi’s,” said Naveed, referring to Portugal’s star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cultural heritage

Dotted with fields, clubs and academies, Kerala regards football as an intangible cultural heritage. During the colonial period, the main trading post of Malabar then called Calicut and now Kozhikode received a constant influx of European businessmen who practiced the sport with British officers. When teammates ran out, they called the locals.

Since then, Kerala has adapted the game to his needs. To make up for the scarcity of land, the Keralites devised 7-a-side football, with smaller teams and fields.

Locals say the World Cup craze has reached a new level this year, with giant screens installed every few miles so people can watch the games.

In some places, VIPs in the area get passes to sit in the front rows. The state government, taking advantage of the fever for the World Cup in Qatar, has launched an anti-drug campaign football themed.

fights

Sometimes fervor boils over. Fans of Argentina and Brazil clashed during an event related to the Cup. A Muslim group has expressed concern about the celebrity cult of soccer (“It’s just for fun,” a Muslim leader replied on Facebook).

But the World Cup also brought people together. Seventeen friends, including a driver, an electrician, a welder and a porter, bought a two-room house with open space in a village near Kochi, another coastal district, so that locals could watch the matches. They installed a television and decorated the house with flags of various teams and portraits of Messi and Ronaldo.

Much larger demonstrations are also taking place. Last week, on the night of the Argentina-Poland match, thousands of men, women and children, some with their faces painted in Argentina’s blue and white colors, packed an open-air stadium in a town called Feroke, where a legislator had organized a screening.

While Argentina trailed 2-0, some of the Brazilian fans in attendance ran away. An Argentina fan set off firecrackers in celebration and another person let out blue smoke. The cool night air carried the smell of fresh curry leaves.

“We want Argentina and Brazil to play each other. This is the quintessential rivalry here,” said Mohammad Shakir, 28, a Brazil fan. “Otherwise, there is no fun.”

For Rahman Poovanjery, who recently wrote a book on football history that includes a chapter on the sport in rural Kerala and recalls playing with a rag ball as a child, World Cup fever has put him in a state philosophical in mind. .

He recently rented a studio and hired a singer to sing a poem he had written. She calls it “Song of Brazil”.

“Every favela, street, alley and valley has been transformed into a football field”, reads the text.

“These cities and towns dedicate their hearts and minds to football, the game that has the beauty of dance. There is truth and beauty in it, say people who have overcome poverty and life’s woes through football. ” continue the song

“Religion, culture, nationalism, they are nothing but the night song that revolves around football,” he concludes.

Font: The New York Times

Translation: Elisa Carnelli

B. C

Source: Clarin

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