Brazil supporters in Kolkata are thinking big for their team this year
Say football and the city in India that first comes to the mind is Kolkata. Normally, the city is divided between Brazilian and Argentinean fans. But with big teams like Germany, Argentina and Spain taking an early exit from World Cup this year, Brazil is enjoying a complete monopoly among the football lovers in the city.
As Brazil will play the quarter-finals against Belgium on Friday, football fans in Kolkata have divided themselves as pro-Brazil and anti-Brazil.
27-yr-old Argentina fan Siddhartha Maity will be cheering for Belgium on Friday. He is very clear that he can support anyone but Brazil.
"I am always anti-Brazil. If Brazil wins this World Cup, I will get more upset. If Argentina cannot get the Cup, no one should get it. If Argentina is out then Brazil should also be out," he said.
The rivalry between Argentina and Brazil supporters in Kolkata is not new, but with Argentina's exit from the World Cup, the choice for the second favorite team is rather tough for Argentinean fans.
"I want a Latin American team to win the cup, be it Brazil or Uruguay. Otherwise the cup will stay back in Europe. I don't want that," said Sandip Misra, an Argentina supporter.
Brazil supporters are, however, thinking big for their team this year, so what if other big teams are out, this might be in Brazil's interest.
"All the big teams are out of the World Cup so there is hardly any team who can put pressure on Brazil. In these big matches, there are lots of pressure cooker scenarios. If Brazil is there, the opposition has already lost 50% of the game," said Subhadeep Chatterjee, a Brazil supporter.
Kolkata's love affair with football is legendary but with every Brazil win, city's favourites are changing.
For more Kolkata news, click here