India and the World Cup

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India's love affair with the World Cup football tournament started in 1982, when for the first time the semi finals and final were telecast live on Doordarshan. There was also deferred telecast of some of the earlier round matches. Brazil's brilliance in that tournament, especially the attacking flair of Zico, Socrates, Falcao and Toninho Cerezo, won them many supporters. In the eighties, the majority of India supported Brazil. Over the years that has changed.

In 1986, for the first time the entire World Cup was telecast live in India. That was the World Cup of Maradona and it led to a massive fan following for this brilliant ball player, even in Calcutta, whose fans traditionally supported Brazil. As the exposure to international football increased in India, the support for teams also got diversified. Brazil is the most popular but other countries also have massive fan following.

Even in cricket crazy India, the passion for the World Cup is overwhelming. In Goa, the fans mostly root for Portugal and some for Brazil. Why Portugal? The reason is simple. Prior to 1961, when Goa was under Portuguese rule, it was an indigenised Catholic Church that popularised the game in the state. Also Portuguese clubs, including the famous Benefica, European Champions' Cup winners in 1961 and 1962 regularly visited Goa during the 1950s and helped to establish the game there.

During the last decade of Portuguese rule, in the 1950s, the Portuguese dictator Oliveira Salzar used cultural bonding to show that Goa was in no way part of India. They used football to create in Goans awareness of benefits of European rule and their ties with the Iberian state. On 22 December 1959, the Associacao Futbol de Goa was founded which later became the Goa Football Association (GFA). Portugal in 1950 also made belated efforts to develop Goa with a view to make its people better off than those in neighbouring India. They boosted Goa's iron ore exports to Japan and manganese exports to the United States of America. By these moves a small clique of well-placed Goans profited and football clubs grew out of industrial organizations. It led to formation of Salgaocar and Dempo football clubs as a means of advertisement, good will and self aggrandizement. Many people in Goa still speak Portuguese, so there is an emotional attachment when Portugal plays in the World Cup.

The other team football fans in Goa support is Brazil because of their flair, fluid passing and attacking football. As people in Goa enjoy an extrovert lifestyle and Brazilian football reflects the joy of life, hence the support for Brazil. Also it helps that Brazil is the only Portuguese speaking nation in South America.

Calcutta, once the administrative capital, the mercantile and industrial heart of the British Empire, learnt football from the British, but traditionally are passionate fans of Brazil. Football has always aroused extreme passion in Calcutta and reaches its peak, in the clash of the titans Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Asian football's biggest club rivalry. Certain historical factors explain why in Calcutta, there is this frenzied following for Brazil in the World Cup. It has an anti-colonial tinge. Brazil was the first country to use the varied ethnic composition of its population to full advantage. The victories in 1958, 1962 and 1970 in which black and mixed race players such as Didi, Garrincha, Pele and Carlos Alberto (a mulatto) showed that they could win in style appealed to people in Bengal. It helped to cock a snook at the supposed superior discipline and professionalism of the Europeans. Above all Bengali coaches have always emphasized on the dribble and pass playing style. So for decades Bengal was infatuated by Brazil, for political reasons and for their attractive playing style.

However when the 1986 World Cup was shown live, colour TV had come to India, so Maradona's brilliance seemed even more magnificent. After 1986 the younger population of Bengal veered towards supporting Argentina. Also in the last few years Brazil have started playing a more physical game, relying on quick counter-attacks whilst Argentina still plays fluid, accurate possession football. So Bengal is divided in their support for either Brazil or Argentina.

In Kerala, the population has divided loyalties, some support Brazil, some Argentina and some root for England and Spain.

With the non-stop telecast of the English premier League (EPL) and the UEFA Champions League there is a shift in the sporting culture of metropolitan Indian schoolboys of a particular class, namely the English speaking, public school attending urban youth. They're seceding from international cricket and offering their enthusiasm and loyalty to English league football. The urban middle class youth of metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore will be cheering for England in this World Cup as they are avid fans of Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard. This trend was noticed vividly in the 2006 World Cup also when the sale of T-shirts of English players increased in urban India. Football fans in the North-east also like England because fast and direct football appeals to them.

Many urban youth are attracted by the stylish Barcelona team and so support Spain. After their victory in Euro 2008, the following for Spain has increased rapidly in urban India. Also because Iker Cassillas, David Villa, Ces Fabregas and Fernando Torres are good looking and wealthy, their female fan following is huge in India. Spain and England are the most popular European teams in India, primarily because the youth have become fans of clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Many Indian fans admire certain players for their skills and playing styles. For instance, when Zinedine Zidane was at his peak, many supported France as they wanted to continue seeing France. In this World cup, France may not have that many supporters from India. Germany and Italy also have some fan following in India, mainly due to the popularity of players like Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianlugi Buffon. Also in the 2006 World Cup, Germany played crisp attacking football, which won them many admirers. In Northern India, people prefer fast-paced attacking football, that is why many support England or Germany and some Spain.