From what I had noticed and been part of during my days growing up physically active in Kerala, soccer is enjoyed by people in two ways.
The first is by playing Sevens football on village maidans and makeshift pitches, and at times even on beaches and dry riverbeds, and by watching the local Sevens football tournaments. There is no concept of a Sevens tournament at the district or state level—these tournaments are locally organized and enjoyed.
Every four years, when the World Cup is held, soccer fever grips the state. The matches are watched on television, and the media cover the World Cup extensively. This all started when the 1986 World Cup, held in Mexico, was transmitted live to homes in Kerala. India has never qualified to play in the World Cup, and in the absence of their own country participating in the largest sporting celebration on the face of the earth, soccer fans in Kerala initially rooted for Brazil en masse—probably because Brazil, along with Pelé, is synonymous with football. Maradona changed all that, and with his mastery of the beautiful game, Argentina began building a huge fan base in Kerala. More recently, Messi’s magic has further consolidated that support. Several World Cups later, other great teams such as France, Portugal, and Spain have also gained support, but Brazil and Argentina continue to dominate.
An interesting feature that pops up everywhere during the World Cup season, and is fun to go around looking for, is the flexboards. These roadside signboards are a way for fans to pay tribute to the team they are rooting for. The graphics and captions can be very creative. With the availability of inexpensive digital technologies, there has been an explosion of these flexboards, which are installed at intersections and along roadsides and even in the paddy fields.
Kerala has been producing great soccer talent, and it enjoys the sport just as it is enjoyed in every other soccer-crazy nation. Unfortunately, the state is part of a huge country that does not care much about soccer—but Keralites are making up for it through their creativity.
I tried to capture this interesting cultural aspect in Sevens. I always wondered if the star players in these great teams are aware that they are remotely adored by soccer fans from a tiny state in India. During last World Cup, New York Times ran an article about the flexboarding - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/sports/world-cup/india-brazil-argentina-fans.html
The New York Times article briefly mentions about Sevens football also.