The scorching summer of Tamil Nadu and monsoon rain in Kerala have not dampened the spirits of football lovers in the two southern States. Both the States are under a grip of football fever with Kerala staying well ahead of their neighbours.
A drive along the National Highway connecting Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and from Kanyakumari to Chennai along the East Coast Road would make traveller ask the question whether India figures in the list of nations playing in the World Cup Football Championship beginning in Russia in two day’s time. All along the highways and alleys, there are festoons, posters, l;arger than life size cut outs of teams, players and individuals. What is really surprising is the slogans printed along with the posters, hailing the players and the teams. Most of the slogans (in Tamil as well as in Malayalam) would eclipse the prowess of the best of the copy writers. “Brazil is not our heart, she is our heart beat”, says one of the slogans in Kerala.
It may take decades for India to figure in the ultimate tournament in the world. Not a single person The Pioneer spoke to expressed any disappointment or sorrow over India’s absence in the world’s greatest sporting event which had encouraged author Desmond Morris to study the intricacies of the game and come out with a best seller by name “The Soccer Tribe”.
“We are least worried over the absence of India in this tournament. What we are going to see for the next 30 days is high quality poetry in motion spiced with strength, stamina, skill and style,” said Afzal, an ardent Argentina fan from Malappuram.
It is not known whether Afzal or his friends could answer if they are asked what they know about Argentina, Brazil or Peru or Uruguay which are some of the prominent latin American teams fighting it out in Russia for the world crown. But they are all familiar with the names of the players, their uniqueness, and even strength and weakness. People in Belgium Germany, Egypt or England or France may be surprised to know that there are fans praying round-the-clock for the success of their favourite teams.
Most of the flex boards and posters dotting the Main Central Road in Kerala got damaged because of heavy winds and rains. But the fans are working overtime to restore the flex boards and festoons.. The enthusiasm and celebrations outsmart the festivities associated with Onam, Deepavali and even Pongal. In Vallam in Kerala, the name of a suburb has been changed from Kochangadi to Brazil Angadi (Angadi is Malayalam for large market)
Even as these fans watch all the matches in community TV sets/lED screens installed by the fans at vantage locations, there are some Indian players, long forgotten by the fans and the media alike, who are really pained by the state of affairs of Indian football. Inder Singh, popularly known as India’s Bullet Train, had enthralled the stadiums in 1960s and 1970s. “ We may have won the Continental Cup beating Kenya, But where is Indian football compared to other neighbours like Sri lanka, Bangladesh and even Male,” asked Inder Singh over telephone from Phagwara in Punjab. He pointed out that there are no Indian players worth mentioning other than Sunil Chetri. “Football is down and out in most of the Indian States except Kerala and Bengal.
There are no tournaments anywhere in the country barring the ISl. But he number of players who can graduate into the ISl are limited,” said Inder, who played top class football for 25 years before hanging his boots. He pointed out that Kerala was home to seven all-India tournaments.