FIFA World Cup 2022: Massive cutouts of Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo installed in Kerala

A 40-foot-tall cutout of Neymar Jr. was made by fans from Kerala to Brazil on the banks of the river, adding spice to the rivalry between the fans of the two players. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 45-foot-high cutout, wearing a Portuguese jersey, overshadowed Messi and Neymar Jr. Fans use a widely shared photo of him preparing for a free kick at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

A group of Argentine soccer club supporters in Pulavur village last week built a 30-foot-tall cutout of Messi on a small island in the river, drawing worldwide attention to Kerala, known for its love of football . This was done a few weeks before the Qatar World Cup.

Incidentally, FIFA tweeted a picture of the cutout saying that the World Cup “fever has hit Kerala.” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked the world football body for “acknowledging our unmatched passion for the sport”. He said in a tweet that Kerala’s love for football is “on full display” with the World Cup.

“These cutouts have been widely shared by the official fan pages of Argentina and Brazil,” ET Nibinraj, a resident of a nearby area told PTI.

Messi’s cutout was posted on 1 November by the Argentina national football team, an unverified Facebook profile with over 4.23 lakh likes and followers. The viral photos have been shared on several fan pages, including one from Brazil.

Maradona and Pele are also favorite sports personalities in Kerala. Tracing the love for football of the Malayali community, Srinijan told PTI that literature on Latin American football and Argentine history was readily available to Keralites through books and newspapers.

Critics of the cutout craze are also present. A lawyer who describes himself as an activist complained to the Chathamangalam panchayat to remove the construction on the grounds that they might disturb the natural flow of the river.

Koduvalli Municipality and Chathamangalam Panchayat both adjoin this place. It is reportedly a part of the jurisdiction of the municipal authorities. According to the local body officials the cutouts will not be removed.

Kunnamangalam MLA PTA Rahim said that the game of football unites people of all countries and languages ​​and they stand with the happiness of football fans.

“There is no basis in the argument that the Messi and Neymar cutouts installed at Pallavaur (sic) should be removed. Where the cutouts were installed is on the border of Chathamangalam GP (gram panchayat) and Koduvalli municipality… part of NIT Given by GOK for drinking water arrangement,” Rahim tweeted.

He said that he visited the site and it was confirmed that the cutouts installed in the area adjacent to the check dam of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut would not affect the natural flow of the river in any way.

Meanwhile, a tragic incident was reported from Kannur on November 5 when a 48-year-old man, a fanatical fan from Brazil, who was trying to tie a poster to a tree, died after falling.

In 2021, when Argentina lifted the Copa America, the streets of Kerala were charged like any Latin American road.

Then, ESPN Argentina posted footage of enthusiastic Argentine supporters cycling through the streets in Kerala. Apart from their two favorite teams, Brazil and Argentina, the spirited legislators of Kerala are currently engaging in friendly cross-party banter.

The now customary social media battle of the leaders began this time with state education minister V Shivankutty cheering Brazil with a poster saying the football giants will lift this edition of the World Cup.

(with PTI inputs)