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This is just an example of the soccer craze and the support for South American teams like Argentina and Brazil that was seen in Kerala during the football World Cup in Qatar from November 20 till the final today.
Sunny, an autorickshaw driver in Kundra area of Kollam, coloured his long beard in the colours of his favourite team and also styled his hair with an ‘M’ in blue at the back indicating his support for Lionel Messi.
He told media that his beard was noticed by the owner of a beauty parlour who offered to have it coloured in the striped blue of Argentina.
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Sunny said that everyone is noticing his new beard and college students, in the evenings, come and take selfies with him.
”At home, my kids love it. However, my wife said she will not step out with me as she is embarrassed and has asked me to remove it after the final,” he said.
Rao ji confidently said that Argentina would lift the cup this year and if not, he will shave his head bald and Sunny said he would remove his beard completely if the South American team loses in the final.
Meanwhile, the young girl from Malappuram district of Kerala who shouted at Brazil fans after being teased over the defeat of Argentina, her favourite team, in its first match — a video of which went viral — told a TV channel that she and her friends will burst more firecrackers than anyone if the South American team wins.
Not just the common public, but politicians and actors too said they were eager to see the outcome of the World Cup final.
CPI(M) leaders like M B Rajesh, who is also the state Minister of Local Self Government Department, and M M Mani were hopeful that Argentina would win the cup this year.
Rajesh, an Argentina fan, said that he was never as tense during counting of votes in the four elections he has contested as he was today ahead of the final match.
He said France was a strong team on paper, but Argentina was no longer the team which arrived at Qatar at the start of the tournament.
Winning the cup would be a big achievement for Messi and his career, he said.
Mani too expects and was also hopeful that Messi would lift the cup along with his team.
”The loss in the first match has given them the boost to move forward,” he said. Actor-cum-Kollam MLA Mukesh, told a scribe that though a fan of Brazil, since his favourite team did not reach the final, he wanted Argentina to win as he was a fan of Messi. Superstar Mohanlal, who is in Qatar to watch the final, said that he did not have any favourite team as such, but was excited to see who would win.
”May the best team win,” he told media.