Cutouts of Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo planted in Pullavoor (Sourced).
Even FIFA could not ignore the football gods coming alive in an otherwise non-descript village, Pullavoor, in Kerala’s Kozhikode district.
Reflecting the true spirit of the beautiful game, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shed his usual hard-to-please façade to soak himself in the World Cup fervour that has gripped the state.
On Tuesday, 8 November, FIFA, the international football governing body, acknowledged the football-crazed Kerala in a tweet. The tweet shared the towering image of the cut-outs of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Cristiano Ronaldo planted in Kurungattu Kadavu river winding through Pullavoor.
“#FIFAWorldCup fever has hit Kerala Giant cutouts of Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel
Messi popped up on a local river ahead of the tournament. 12 days to go until #Qatar2022.”
FIFA tweeted.
Incidentally, this was not the first time that FIFA acknowledged Kerala’s passion for football. It had produced a documentary, Maithanam (playground), on the growth of the game in the state.
#FIFAWorldCup fever has hit Kerala 🇮🇳
Giant cutouts of Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi popped up on a local river ahead of the tournament.
12 days to go until #Qatar2022 🏆 pic.twitter.com/29yEKQvln5
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) November 8, 2022
FIFA’s tweet added further cheer to the World Cup excitement. People from all walks of life responded to FIFA. One among them was Chief Minister Vijayan.
The chief minister responded by saying that the Keralites’ “unmatched passion” for football “is on full display” with the World Cup around the corner. He thanked FIFA for acknowledging the state’s passion for the game.
“Kerala and Keralites have always loved football and it is on full display with #Qatar2022 around the
corner. Thank you FIFA for acknowledging our unmatched passion for the sport.” The tweet
read.
Kerala and Keralites have always loved football and it is on full display with #Qatar2022 around the corner. Thank you @FIFAcom for acknowledging our unmatched passion for the sport. https://t.co/M4ZvRiZUvh
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) November 8, 2022
Meanwhile, fans and supporters of various teams vied with each other in eulogising their favourite players.
A massive 30-feet cut-out of Argentinian captain Lionel Messi was installed in the picturesque Kurungattu Kadavu river on 1 November. The sight of Messi, apparently, did not go down well with Neymar fans.
The Brazilian star’s cut-out, 10 feet taller than Messi, was soon planted at the same location. A couple of days later, a cut-out of Christiano Ronaldo towered over the other two at 45 feet.
The state has arguably the largest number of fan groups for the two Latin American giants — Argentina and Brazil. The tussle between the fans of both teams has even been featured in movies and literature.
During all major international tournaments, the state stands divided, donning the blue and white stripes of Argentina or Brazil’s yellow. The frenzy reaches its zenith during the World Cup.
Meanwhile, a local activist approached the local gram panchayat, demanding the removal of the cut-outs. He said the cut-outs were preventing the natural flow of the river.
The activist, however, failed to garner support for his move.
He, however, unwittingly sparked a row between the Chathamangalam grama panchayat and Koduvalli municipality, with both claiming that the location where the cut-outs are placed is under their jurisdiction.
There is no basis in the argument that the cutouts of Messi & Neymar installed in Pullavur should be removed – The place where the cutouts were installed is on the border of Chathamangalam GP & Koduvalli municipality but is not under the jurisdiction of the two local bodies. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/uzxZXzBLVh
— Adv.PTA Rahim MLA (@Advptarahim) November 6, 2022
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