17 Football Fans In Kerala Buy Rs 23 Lakh House To Watch World Cup Matches Together

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has kick-started in Qatar, and football fanatics are all geared up to welcome the game. From adorning the streets with cut-outs and posters of their favourite players to buying expensive tickets in advance, football fans do all sorts of crazy things to express their love for the sport. One such story has emerged from Kerala - a state that possesses an unbridled love for the game.  

According to an ANI report, 17 residents of Mundakkamugal village in Kerala's Kochi have brought a house together for Rs 23 lakh, so that they can watch the FIFA matches together at one common spot. The football friends have also decorated the newly-purchased house with the flags of the 32 teams taking part in the World Cup, along with portraits of football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. A big-screen television has been installed in the house so that all of them can watch the match together.  

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"We planned to do something special for FIFA World Cup 2022. 17 of us purchased a house already on sale for Rs 23 lakhs & decorated it with flags of FIFA teams. We've also planned to gather together here & watch the match on a big-screen TV," Shefeer PA, one of the buyers said as quoted by news agency ANI. 

Before buying the house, the group had established a unique tradition of watching football games together, and they have been doing it for the past 15-20 years. They eventually decided to buy the property in order to continue gathering at the house. 

"In the future, our next generation can also enjoy this gathering and their unity will continue. We are planning to buy a big TV. We will make arrangements for visitors of all generations to come here and enjoy the game together", Shefeer PA told ANI.  As to what would happen after the World Cup is over, the buyers said that the house will become a venue for social services, emergency services and sporting events. 

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is being held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. The opening ceremony is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm today. Over the next month, players from the national teams of 32 countries will compete in a series of elimination games, culminating on December 18, when one national team will be crowned the 2022 World Cup Champion.

In the first match at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, the Ecuadorian team will clash with the host team, Qatar. This will be the first time that a country from the Middle East is hosting the FIFA World Cup.