They are Indians, mostly from the state of Kerala, football fans and unconditional supporters of the French team. In Doha, it was these fans who praised Antoine Griezmann’s game knowledge and Kylian Mbappé’s art of dribbling in a Indian English messing around, is one of the oddities of the World Cup.

Their presence in front of the Hotel des Bleus, when the players’ bus arrived, two days before the start of the competition, had raised doubts among journalists. On social networks, supporters with these unusual profiles are then associated with “pseudo fans” paid by Qatar to animate pre-World Cup.

But hearing them talk about Zidane’s two winning headers in the 1998 final against Brazil or his unfortunate header in the 2006 final against Italy, observers have had to give up the obvious. The French India Football Fans Club is an authentic association of football fans.

The structure was born in 2013, in Kerala, one of India’s few states, with West Bengal, where football evokes a real cult, on a par with cricket, India’s national sport. In cities on the Malabar Coast, such as Kalikut and Malappuram, seven-on-seven soccer matches, played on clay, attract huge crowds of enthusiastic crowds.

Its founding president, Thoufeer Kaitha Valappil, is a 30 year old who works for a Dubai trading firm. From his smartphone, he took a series of selfies with Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud, which were taken during a recent visit to Clairefontaine, the Blues’ training base. According to him, 260 of his club’s 3,000 members are present in Doha. Some had traveled from India, but most stayed there, or had come from the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia, where they live.

From India, Saudi Arabia or the Emirates

While Brazil and Argentina are generally favored by local fans, Thoufeer fell in love with the French XI. Love at first sight started with the 1998 final, which he watched on his uncle’s television, then the Blues’ triumph two years later, in the Euros. “Zidane, Trezeguet, Henry, Vieira and the others are magicians, legends, he confided. No other options are possible. »

As well as helping its members follow the French team, the supporters’ club organizes tournaments for children, showing matches on the big screen and various charitable actions, such as the distribution of sports equipment to underprivileged neighborhoods.

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