As the FIFA fever grips India, malls and merchandise stores across the country have kicked off the football season with curated menus, colorful team jerseys and a lot more merchandises.
As the excitement brews in the air with the sporting extravaganza begun in Moscow yesterday, football fans can be seen gathering at sports gear outlets in various parts of the city.
Curated Menus:
To cash in on this very sentiment, restaurants have come up with creative ideas to ensure maximum footfall.
‘After Stories’ has come up with a pizza menu inspired by popular teams – Peppy Portugal, German Magic, Belgium Rush, French Connection, Argentinian Ooze and Brazilian Treat among others.
Monkey Bar’ in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore has introduced a ‘half-time’ menu for the month-long tournament. Football snacks from around the world including ‘Football Farsan’, ‘Mexican Wave’, ‘Kahn’s Hot Dog’ and ‘No. 10’ will add to the fun quotient at the gastropub.
‘The Park’ in Hyderabad has also curated a special menu with dishes inspired by legends of the game. There is the Lev Yashin pigs in blanket (Russia), Muller’s striking sausage and sauerkraut turnovers (Germany), Neymar’s free kick chicken and palm heart pasties (Brazil), mesmerizing Messi’s corn and cheese empanadas (Argentina) and a lot more.
So, pull up your socks, and head to a favourite restaurant near you!
Merchandises:
As the football fever grips the nation, many fans have even painted their vehicles in the colours of their favourite teams. Compound walls and shops are also painted with pictures of players in several places.
Sharad Chandra, an advisor at a sports store in Rohini said to PTI that his shop, decorated with FIFA-themed merchandise, has been flooded with supporters of their favourite teams — Argentina, Brazil and England.
“Jerseys of Argentina are selling the most and our football sales have risen due to the World Cup fever,” he was quoted as saying.
As one takes a walk in the malls in the city, the soccer excitement can be felt with fans, young and old, sporting jerseys of football legends.
To add more excitement, Mall in Saket recently opened a ‘Soap Football Arena’ for visitors to soak in the experience of playing football.
Not only apparels and fan-based merchandises, even brands are cashing on to add flavour to the football excitement.
Globally renowned fashion brand Louis Vuitton has unveiled the official Adidas match ball collection trunk and an official licensed product collection. The collection offers a refined yet playful football-inspired style, including exclusive versions of Keepall and Apollo bags along with a selection of smaller leather pieces.
Coca-Cola has partnered with film exhibition chain INOX Leisure Ltd to give away branded merchandise to fans across the country from April to July. Earlier, the soft drink brand has released a new FIFA packaging across its portfolio ahead of the event.
Check out some of the best FIFA World Cup merchandises:
Auto-updating live 2D scoreboards have also been installed by many sports majors to draw in football enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, Alcis Sports has associated with the tournament for the first time by bagging the mandate to sell official FIFA merchandise. Alcis Sports has lined up a comprehensive range of over 550 articles that will be exclusively available on Flipkart including apparels such as T-Shirts, Polo T-shirts, Shorts, Track pants, Tracksuits, Hoodies, Jackets, Sweatshirts, Jerseys and Caps.
The 2018 World Cup, being hosted in Russia, will see 32 countries vying for the crown.
The World Cup in Russia promises to be one of the biggest tournaments in the world, which is scheduled to start from June 14 until July 15. This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since the 2006 tournament in Germany, and the first ever to be held in Eastern Europe.
