Football friends

“It has been a long journey and it’s not finished yet. It will continue as long as we are fit. Football transcends all barriers and we have always wanted to be a part of football’s biggest extravaganza,” the septuagenarian told The Indian Express.

It’s not easy for a Bengali middle-class family to be present at every World Cup. Pannalal,a former Kolkata Port Trust employee,has braved the odds and made it through meticulous planning. “We save whatever we earn by renting out rooms in our home and plan accordingly to meet our goal. We don’t have kids. Football is our only child and whatever we spend,we spend on something we love,” Pannalal explains.

Eight World Cups and eight different countries — it’s like the experience of vivid dreams. Thankfully there were no hazards or hardships. “Our World Cup journey is like a conducted tour. We just arrange our match tickets and the rest is taken care of by the tour operator,” Pannalal said.

Chaitali intervenes: “I have a special memory of Italia ‘90. We went to see the lung opener between Argentina and Cameroon. I was wearing a sari that resembled the Cameroon national flag. A group of Cameroonians came and took me to their corner. It was great fun. In the end when Cameroon won,they presented me with a memento as,according to them,I was their lucky charm.”

It all started 28 years ago. “We were in London and managed a ticket to a match in Spain. We were bowled over by the carnival atmosphere of our maiden outing at the World Cup and vowed to travel to every World Cup thereafter. So far we have managed to keep our promise,” said Pannalal. “The 2002 World Cup was a special occasion. For the first time the tournament was held in Asia and we started to believe that one day it will come to our country. I sincerely wish we become a strong football playing nation and bid for the quadrennial showpiece. But the way things are going,I don’t see it happening in the near future,” Pannalal laments.

What about the first World Cup in Africa? “It was fantastic despite the fact that we were shivering in the cold. We didn’t have any idea that the weather would be so cold in Africa and a lighter purse — we had to spend for buying woolens — made a heavy heart. South Africa’s early exit was a dampener. So was Brazil’s loss in the quarter-finals. Still it was an experience to savour. We watched five matches and Cape Town was the most organised venue,” he said.

As a player Pannalal was average but his stint with Kalighat and Kidderpore clubs in the Calcutta Football League helped him understand the game better. He became the youngest governing body member of the Indian Football Association (IFA) in 1971. He has seen it all but a small wish remains. “We want to go to Brazil in 2014. I Hope we will be alive till then to see the World Cup in that country… that’s our only wish,” he says. “As always,we will be carrying the Tricolour and will fly it high. Some curious spectators will drop in and ask,‘When will India play football?’” Pannalal concluded.