Malappuram: Towns in football-crazy Malappuram have an uncanny resemblance to Qatar these days. The usual dilapidated buildings and alleyways have been repainted with flag colours of various football teams. The boringly monotonous days have turned into exciting conversations as war of words among locals has peaked with the arrival of FIFA World Cup. While Brazil and Argentina seem more prominent, colours of England, Portugal, and even Ghana are favourites among people.
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Apart from painting the walls of houses and buildings, fans are erecting huge cutouts of international football superstars of their favourite teams and tying the national flags of their teams on poles in the town.
Even though India is not among the nations playing the final rounds, fans have erected hoardings with photographs of the Indian team. As the fever intensifies, these streets would look like any of the playing venues in the host country Qatar. The fans are also preparing to install huge screens for the fans to watch the action live in groups.
