Argentina fans from all around Kerala celebrated the victory, which also resulted in minor clashes at some places.
Cutouts of Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo Kurungattu Kadavu River at Pullavoor in Kozhikode on Monday, 19 December. (Supplied)
Sporadic incidents of violence marred an otherwise joyous occasion as Kerala celebrated Argentina winning the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, 18 December.
Soon after Lionel Messi-led side registered a win against France in a match that went to a shootout, the south Indian state erupted in celebrations with fans spilling onto the streets.
Earlier, the streets wore a deserted look as Argentina clashed with France in an edge-of-the-seat thriller at Lusail Stadium in the Arab nation — home to a large number of Malayali expatriates.
People sat glued to television sets and big screens that cropped up across the length and breadth of the state.
Kerala has been in the grip of football fever since the start of November with fans’ associations putting up huge cutouts, flex boards and banners of their favourite players and teams.
Huge cutouts of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr planted in the Kurungattu Kadavu River at Pullavoor in Kozhikode district grabbed global attention with FIFA reproducing its photograph in its official Twitter handle.
Malayalam film stars Mammootty, Mohanlal and Joju George were in the stadium witnessing the final match.
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The official Twitter account of Selección Argentina thanked the team’s fans in Kerala, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan for their “wonderful” support.
Thank you Bangladesh 🤩
Thank you Kerala, India, Pakistan. Your support was wonderful! https://t.co/GvKwUP2hwJ— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 19, 2022
Brazilian playmaker Neymar Jr, who had several cutouts planted across Kerala, thanked the fans through his official Instagram account.
“Affection comes from all the arts in the world, Thank you so much, Kerala, India,” Neymar wrote, reposting a photo of Neymar Fans Welfare Association, Kerala.
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The cutouts of players during international football events such as the FIFA World Cup, The UEFA Euros, and the CONMEBOL Copa America is not new in Kerala.
This year, it took a new turn after the “cutout war” grabbed global attention. After FIFA’s tweet, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked the world football body for acknowledging Kerala’s love of football.
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
The cutouts of Neymar, Ronaldo, and Messi still stand in the Kurungattu Kadavu River, despite a government order saying that such materials should be removed as the teams get eliminated.
Saudi player Al-Shehri has also gained a place among the greatest of the beautiful game.
“The cutouts will be removed from the river within two days. The Argentina fans have planned a celebration tomorrow, and the cutouts will be taken away after that event. It will not be thrown away or kept in public spaces but it will be displayed at local tournaments,” Jayesh Mythri, an Argentina fan in Pullavoor, told South First.
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra also tweeted a video of Kerala fans celebrating after Argentina’s semi-win against Croatia on 14 December.
Fans of Argentina are celebrating. (Brazilian fans in the crowd too,but obviously they’re not too happy) The interesting thing is that these fans are in India. We may not have shown our merit in Football yet, but if there was a World Cup for ‘Fanball’ we would be in the running… pic.twitter.com/XjVhBHqgpw
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 14, 2022
Argentina fans in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, planted a cutout of Messi deep down among the corals in the turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea. They took it back after a photoshoot.
Mollywood superstar Mohanlal released an album, as a tribute to the World Cup and Malappuram, in November.
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There were also some issues involving Malayalis. When the England National Team landed in Qatar for the World Cup, Indian fans, including many from Kerala, gathered at the airport to welcome them. Many fans and journalists criticised the Qatari government for terming them “paid fans”.
The organising committee made a strong statement against the allegations and acknowledged the presence of diverse cultures in Qatar that support various footballing nations.
“We thoroughly reject these assertions, which are both disappointing and unsurprising. Qatar, and the rest of the world, comprises a diverse range of football fans, many of whom share emotional connections with multiple nations.”, the organising committee said in a statement.
Clashes between different fan groups were reported in Kerala before the opening ceremony and after the final.
On 20 November, Argentina fans clashed with Brazil fans in Kollam. Several fans ended up in hospitals and were booked by the police.
During the World Cup, several Islamic scholars criticised the believers for being fans of colonial nations like Portugal. They wanted the believers to refrain from celebrating the World Cup so that they did not miss the prayers.
Minor clashes were reported on Monday, 19 December from across the state.
Six people were booked in the Kannur district in two different cases, including one in which a man was stabbed.
In Kochi, a gang of five attacked an on-duty police officer on Sunday night. He was attacked reportedly for stopping them from celebrating Argentina’s victory.
Even though such sporadic incidents took the sheen out of the festivity, the fans celebrated Argentina’s win by bursting firecrackers, shouting the name of Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi, blowing trumpets and horns, and dancing on the streets.
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