Indians are no fake football fans, even FIFA chief Gianni Infantino knows that

Refusing to take the beaming smiles at face value, they alleged that the boisterous reception was choreographed and paid for by the host nation that was battling bad press.

#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.com (@FIFAcom) November 8, 2022

The insulting snub was actually a comment on the abysmal state of the sport in India – a nation of billion, with mass football following but no lasting footprint on the big stage. Over the years, chip by chip, mixed priorities of administrators had killed the once thriving sport. The game’s freefall at home, coupled with the easy access to world-class action abroad, was the reason for the mass change of loyalties.

India loves football but they don’t have a team that deserves its affection. Wearing India Blues went out of fashion long back. This is the season when the world becomes a village and wearing Argentina white-blue or Brazil’s canary yellow signifies the stamp on our soul, not your passport.

Since donning Chhetri 10 at the World Cup would make you look out of place, if not inferior; Indians can’t be faulted for wearing Messi 10 or Kane 9 in Qatar.

Tea-seller Shib Shankar Patra (C), a fan of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, serves tea to other supporters under a giant flag of Argentina, installed in a street ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at Nawabganj, in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. (PTI)

By doubting India’s love for geographically distant football teams, the uninformed reporters were exposing their ignorance about the footballing history of the second populous nation. Shockingly, they weren’t even aware about the pull of the beautiful game that makes neutrals form a lifelong bond with players from different continents and cultures.

The connect of the beautiful game leaps over man-made boundaries. It is the footballing philosophies and playing style of teams that bring together like-minded army fans, not shared nationalities. Hidden in football’s layered simplicity lies the complexity of its universal appeal.

For Indians supporting overseas football clubs, it’s an across-borders emotional investment. Others renew their vows every four years when the finest national teams come together. The World Cup is the time when they reconnect with old flames.

If those floating the ‘fake fan’ narrative had failed to comprehend India’s spiritual connection, they could have at least checked out the TRP break-up of European club games or even the nation-wise World Cup tickets distribution. For the record, 10 percent of tickets at this Qatar 2022 have been pocketed by the so-called ‘fake fans’ from India.

Following the social media handles of top European clubs too would have helped. When Manchester United wishes Happy Diwali and Arsenal posts videos of their players splashing colours on Holi, you know it is an acknowledgement of their die-hard fans in India and the colossal market they wish to capture.

Artists make paintings of celebrated football players ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022, in Mumbai. (PTI)

Despite the outreach of the European clubs, India, at times, comes across as the proverbial Abdulla, the over-excited uninvited wedding crasher but its diwangi is unquestionable.

Take the case of the late Maradona’s visit to North Kannur in football-crazy Kerala. Much after the frenzied welcome to the God, Kannur still hasn’t got over their brush with divinity. The hotel room where he stayed is a museum now, on display are the prawn shells he peeled with the same hands that punched the ball to score against England.

Kolkata has similar stories about Pele’s visit several decades back. It was such a milestone moment for the city that it has got engraved on the city’s psyche. An ardent Pele fan Satyajit Ray didn’t miss Kolkata’s big moment, recording it for posterity in his film. The Brazilian legend crops up in his movie Agantuk. The well-traveled house guest with a mysterious past, Utpal Dutt, mentions he has been to Brazil and eyes around the Bengali living room pop out and they talk about Pele.

In metros, the influence of international football can be seen all through the year. English club logos dangle from car keys, scarves are tied to rear view mirrors. The fandom isn’t skin deep, it gets passed through generations.

Fans of Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi take out a procession ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, in Kozhikode. (PTI)

We once had a colleague called Zico and also an intern with the habit of referring to Bayern Munich as ‘We’. I had a friend called Mario whose son was Romario. India’s top hurdler, the Asian Games gold medal winner Joseph Abraham named his son Cristiano, all for the love of Ronaldo. He even defied his wife with this choice.

India’s enthusiastic North East, where football is extensively played too, has been swept by European football. There is an interesting back story about how India’s top cyclist Ronaldo, from Manipur, got his name. It was actually inspired by the Brazilian great with mesmeric skills – Ronaldinho.

It starts with Ronaldo’s father, a CRPF jawan posted in Srinagar, settling to watch Brazil play England in the 2002 World Cup with his mates. Brazil gets a free kick around the centre line. Spotting David Seaman was off-the-line, he attempted an audacious lob over the keeper.

The father had bet that the ball would land into the goal. It does. The word from the camp is he made a killing that day. Within minutes of the goal, the man who had predicted the one-in-million goal got a call from home. His wife had gone into labour. Next day, he was informed that it was a boy. Still heady after the jaw-dropping goal, he would name him Ronaldo. For the record Ronaldinho’s official name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira.

Another cyclist from India’s Andaman islands, Ronaldo’s long-time mate, hails from a family that was in love with an English footballer. They could have named him David but that would have been a half-measure. They went for David Beckham, conveying to the world who was the biggest influence in their lives.

Had they known about Andamans’ David Beckham, the English press wouldn’t have gotten suspicious when the allegedly ‘fake Indian fans’ chanted ‘It’s coming home’ when Harry Kane & Co landed in Qatar. They would have known ‘home is where the heart is.’

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