World Cup football fever grips cricket-crazy India

NEW DELHI: Football fever has gripped cricket-crazy India, with fans turning out in force at bars and pubs across the country to watch their favourite teams compete in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

India is not taking part in the tournament, but that has not stopped football-mad Indians from cheering the other national teams on. 

Football enthusiasts are a small but passionate community in a country where the game of cricket is often called a religion. In the past few years, the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga have risen in popularity in India, according to observers. 

FOOTBALL FRENZY ON FULL DISPLAY

And the football frenzy has been on full display as the World Cup progresses. At some nightspots across India, for instance, fans usually show up in the jerseys of the teams they are rooting for. 

Delhi resident Siddharth Jain said: “I don’t think it can ever overtake cricket as the primary sport of the nation. But definitely it can become a strong number two.”

Cricket is still the national obsession, with far more infrastructure and investments compared to other sports, said observers. 

The craze for football has compelled business owners in the nation’s capital to host live screenings. The matches can pack a full house on weekends, and have boosted sales for businesses that would have otherwise struggled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Pebble Street bar and restaurant general manager Saurabh Suman said it is doing good business by focusing on sports, especially with a young crowd.  

BUSINESSES SCORE BIG 

Businesses too are looking to score big. Piling on football’s rising popularity, Indian dairy conglomerate Amul has become a regional sponsor of the Portugal and Argentina national teams.

It gives the dairy brand the lucrative rights to feature both football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on its product packaging.

Meanwhile, Indian education technology giant ByJu’s has become an official FIFA sponsor, and has also signed Messi as its global brand ambassador. As football becomes more popular in India, fans are still desperately waiting for their national side to make a mark on the global stage.

The men’s national team is currently 106th on the FIFA rankings. 

India, which has the world's second-largest population, has never competed in the World Cup. Although it qualified in 1950, the country withdrew before the tournament started.

Many hope that a growing fan base for the game would push India to invest more in its football team, so they can proudly carry their own flag at screening venues across the country.