Politics and international fandom in a fringe nation: La Albiceleste, Maradona, and Marxist Kolkata

Despite India’s disappointing position in the FIFA rankings and the nation’s failure to make it to the biggest stage of Soccer, it has a rich historic tradition in the field of football. With India never competing in the World Cup, it was with the giants of Latin American football, Brazil and Argentina, who the fans from Kolkata developed a sense of bonding with. In Pelé and Maradona they discovered heroes who they could identify, worship and empathize with. This essay will focus on how after the departure of Pelé the La Albiceleste or Argentina successfully penetrated the ‘Brazilian colony’ of Kolkata. The essay concentrates on the figure of Maradona and examines how, for more than a decade, Kolkata’s passion for him was built around his football ability, personal life and political beliefs, by analysing literary output and support activities. It concludes with a study of Maradona’s visit to Kolkata in 2008. It thus shows to what extent do the reception of world football and global icons provide a unique opportunity to understand the complexity of fandom as a global process