The Kozhikode-based Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association sent a letter to the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday, pleading with him to assist in having the matches shown for Indian fans on Doordarshan or a sports channel.
Large cutouts of Neymar and Lionel Messi at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar were displayed in Pullavoor, Kozhikode. FIFA had even taken notice of the cuts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received a request from a well-known football fan organization in Kerala, pleading with him to guarantee live transmission of the Copa America 2024 matches that are now taking place in the US.
The Copa America, which is slated to take place from June 20 to July 14, will not be broadcast live or streamed in India, which has devastated many Indian football lovers.
The Kozhikode-based Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association sent a letter to the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday, pleading with him to assist in having the matches shown for Indian fans on Doordarshan or a sports channel.
The organization emphasized in the letter how popular football is in India and how teams from South America, such Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia, with players like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Alexis Sanchez, and Arturo Vidal, are appealing.
The organization wrote to Modi, "As you are aware, football is the largest and most popular game in the world, with millions of fans in India alone."
It emphasized that it would be unfortunate to deprive Indian football fans the opportunity to see these players in action.
"This edition of Copa America is maybe the last time we can see Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Alexis Sanchez, as well as Arturo Vidal playing in a big tournament in their national colors," the association's founder and president, N.V. Subair, told The Telegraph on Saturday. Football fans in India are losing out on a fantastic chance to see their heroes and their teams play since the games aren't being televised.
Similar to Bengal, Kerala's football supporters are divided between Brazil and Argentina, with smaller groups cheering for Portugal, England, or Germany as they compete in the current Euro 2024 in Germany.
Every game, a sizable contingent of supporters congregate in our association headquarters, where we show European football. Being denied the opportunity to watch the Copa America is really unjust, since this simply serves to highlight the level of popularity football has in Kerala, according to Subair.
He remembered how the Copa America was shown by DD Sports in the 1990s and said that the PMO should assist football enthusiasts by requesting that Doordarshan, the national broadcaster, televise the matches.
There's a lot of social media demand for Copa America programming, even if Sony Sports is airing the Euro 2024 matchups. Despite early rumors that suggested internet platforms may webcast the competition, no official plans have been revealed.
"As a football fan, I believe that these kinds of games should be on television since viewing them online is not a viable alternative. Football is something to watch and enjoy in crowds, not when hunched over a computer or smartphone. Due to inadequate bandwidth, even screen-mirroring internet information to large displays is not feasible, according to Subair.
Subair feels optimistic despite the PMO's failure to reply to the letter so far.
Owner of the KMG Football Club in Mavoor, Kozhikode, Hifsul Rahman, said that his team was also thinking of requesting in writing that the government broadcast the matches.
"Any football fan, whether from Kerala or anywhere else, is disappointed that they won't be able to watch the Copa America. Even smaller countries are airing these games live, so I'm not even sure why India isn't doing the same," Rahman said.
KMG FC, a nationally recognized football team that often competes in seven-a-side competitions in north Kerala, has been showing the Euro.
During football World Cups, the state's skyline is littered by enormous cutouts of famous players like Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo, notably in north Kerala districts like Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, and Wayanad.
When the Argentine national football organization learned of the overwhelming support the Albiceleste had in the Indian state of Kerala, they announced their desire to play two friendly there in October 2025.
Hugo Javier Gobbi, the ambassador of Argentina to India, gave Kerala's chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, a reception in April 2023 in Delhi as a token of gratitude for the state's football supporters' support of the South American side during the 2022 World Cup.
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