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Giant screens brought alive the feel of soccer for Coimbatoreans
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PHOTO: K. ANANTHAN
SMITTEN By football mania
When Horacio Elizando flashed the red card on French captain Zinedine Zidane for head butting Italian Marco Materazzi, millions of spectators at the Berlin stadium were stunned into silence. The defining moment of the World Cup was soaked in with the same feeling by people thousands of miles away in Coimbatore. Thanks to giant screens that brought alive the spirit of soccer.
The Cauvery Theatre at the Karpagam complex saw a full house for the final. At least 70 per cent of them rooted for the Frenchmen. Every time danger man Zizou dribbled the ball into the Italian citadel, the crowd roared in joy. And Zidane did not disappoint.
The situation was similar at Pavizham Jewel City on Cross Cut Road. When the Italians struck the equaliser, the crowds did not savour the moment. They saved their energy for the magical moves of the Frenchmen.
It was quite unusual to see people gather in such large groups quite late in the night to watch the title clash on giant screens. Says S.P. Palaniappan, Managing Director of Karpagam Complex: "This is the first time that we telecast a sporting extravaganza in our theatre and we were surprised by the response. We thought we might not get a full house due to the late hour, but it was amazing to see everybody sitting glued to the chair."
He had obtained special permission from the broadcasters to beam the final. "It was an arduous task but worth the effort," he says.
Lijo S. Chungath of Pavizham says a few women too came to watch the final.
He says the people turned out in large numbers mainly to enjoy the atmosphere.
The elite crowd preferred to watch the show live at The Pavilion in The Residency. There were quite a few Italians who had gathered there but they seemed unconvinced about their team's chances prior to the match.
And, many Indians were seeing rooting for the Frenchmen by waving the country's flag.
Once the crowd swelled, the hotel also made arrangements to view the match at Senator I.
The Parish Hall at the All Souls Church in Race Course road was also packed with soccer crazy ones.
The show jointly organised by Dinamalar, CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science and Christian Sports Fellowship, was a crowd puller.
In Podanur, a special show was arranged at the Railway auditorium for nearly 500 soccer fans.
RAYAN ROZARIO
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