The Totem of Malabar

Malabar – commonly known for its legacy in spice trade since 3000 BCE embellished its name as the ‘Spice Garden of India’.

It’s the northern region of Kerala state consisting of Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts.

Along with the aroma, Malabar chased another odour of obsession – Football.

Especially, the Malappuram district is considered as the Mecca of Football, where one can see the passion without age boundaries. It’s to be spoken of the seasonal tournaments known as Sevens (seven a side) and Fives (five a side), which opened the hallways of footballing opportunities as well as developed a fondness for it.

And mentioning the fervour of playing, a new culture of outdoor artificial turf fields got widespread recognition. Its commencement offered a seamless playing experience, not to mention its business goal.

Reading the coeval situations, Keralites have toted themselves with the players and their nations amidst this World Cup. The roadsides are garnished with flags like Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, France, and Belgium on behalf of this quadrennial festival – the FIFA World Cup.

No matter if their mother nation India didn’t qualify yet, they would be keen on supporting and encouraging their teams and star players like Messi, Cristiano, and Neymar in particular.

As the first Arab nation to host the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, Qatar is Kerala’s closest neighborhood which would make this year fantastic.

Drifting from the controversial trends of using flex banners, the dedicated fans are now busy with masting gigantic cutouts and hoardings, trying vigorously to outshine each other.

Recently, a cutout of Cristiano Ronaldo with a height of 120 feet was raised in Kollengode, Palakkad, bagging the record for the biggest ever made.

A few weeks before, FIFA posted the football fever of Keralites, making them unique across the globe.

Competing for fanfare, several folks have entered mainstream media recognition with so much enthusiasm and support from the people.

A die-hard Argentine fanboy who cried following their opening match defeat was visited by Sahal Abdul Samad, who offered him precious gifts. Also, he got a dream opportunity to visit Qatar and watch the live match with full sponsorship.

Another piece of news popped up from Qatar itself as a teenage girl from Vadakara, Kozhikode, got a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo and gave an interview about the excitement she experienced at that moment.