THIRUVANANTHAPURAM A modest house at Nainmara in Kerala’s Palakkad district has become an unexpected attraction as football fans and curious visitors stop by to take selfies and photographs.
Painted entirely in Brazil’s distinctive yellow and green, and decorated with soccer and World Cup imagery from gate to roof, the house stands out as a vibrant tribute to the sport.
The attractive house has become a symbol of the football fever sweeping Kerala once again as anticipation builds ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
As the countdown to the biggest football spectacle in the tri-states of the American continent enters its final days, eager Kerala fans have left little doubt that the tournament is as much a festival here as it is in the host nation.
Across villages, towns and coastal hamlets, giant shapes of soccer stars rise above coconut groves, huge flex boards appear along highways, young people rehearse victory chants, and fans proudly wear the jerseys of their favorite teams.
For Shafir, a resident of Nainmara in Palakkad and a lifelong Brazil fan, supporting the five-time world champion goes beyond just watching the matches.
His entire house and composite wall now wear Brazil’s colours.
“The Brazilian national team is my life,” he says with a smile. “I have nothing else to say. Some feelings cannot be measured.”
His wife Shamna, who shares his love of the Seleção, says the house has become so popular that locals now refer to it simply as “Brazil Veedu”.
Visitors often stop to take photographs, turning the residence into an unexpected selfie destination.
Hundreds of kilometers away, in the coastal village of Chelanam in Ernakulam district, Argentine fans made their own statement.
With the support of parents and locals, a group of teenage fans recently erected a towering statue of Lionel Messi that now dominates the village’s skyline.
Video clips of teenagers standing in front of a picture of Messi and raising slogans of “Argentina Vamos” spread on social media.
“It was the result of three to four days of continuous hard work,” said one of the young organizers. “Our parents also joined us. Everyone wanted this outage to become a reality.”
The friendly rivalry that characterizes Kerala’s football culture is already well underway.
Local Brazilian supporters in the area say bigger pieces are being prepared for Neymar and he will soon challenge Messi’s towering presence.
At Kunjad near Palakkad, die-hard Argentine fans erected a huge floppy hoarding along the busy Palakkad-Cherpulassery road.
Filled with images of Messi, his teammates and memorable moments from the Argentine football journey, this installation has become a talking point across the state.
Videos showing dozens of fans carrying the giant structure into position have attracted widespread attention online.
A member of the local football club behind the initiative said: “We have put up flex boards during every World Cup. This time we made it much bigger. We wanted to create something that would surprise Kerala, and I think we succeeded.”
One social media user, who shared a video of the flexible panel, joked that he initially thought it was a container truck.
“You keep walking and walking, and it still doesn’t end,” he said, referring to his height.
Drone images of giant partitions and colorful flexible panels standing amid fertile paddy fields in Kerala have heightened the World Cup buzz online.
No less popular are videos in which young fans name football stars from different countries wearing team jerseys.
Football fever is not limited to displays and decorations.
And in neighborhoods across the state, local stadiums are seeing a surge in activity as fans prepare for World Cup-inspired friendlies.
In nearby Totomoko, friends Shan and Aman are among those planning soccer events ahead of the World Cup.
“Here we have fans for almost every major team. Argentina may have more fans in our village, but there are many who support Brazil and Portugal as well. We are planning friendly matches where everyone will wear the jersey of their favorite team,” Shan told PTI.
Football’s emotional grip on Kerala is nothing new.
Over the decades, the country has fostered a deep love for the sport, fueled by national seven-man tournaments, television broadcasts and generations of fans who have grown up idolizing legends from Pele and Maradona to Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar.
Every four years, this passion spreads from living rooms to streets, beaches and village squares.
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