Nayarakath Abubaker, 50, a taxi driver of Beypore in Kerala, was not a bit amused: The dive had left him penniless.

Abubaker, a part of Kozhikode's "amateur" football betting syndicate, was so sure that the Italian would dive to his right, that he put the entire day's income, Rs 500, on the dive. "I will never forget that day, because my wife and kids really blew the whistle on my habit of wasting money," recalls Abubaker.

Four years later, Abubaker, who still plays sevens football, is ready for another round. A month of sleepless nights, unending excitement, a sore throat after shouting and screaming -- and perhaps an empty pocket after the betting.

As the greatest football show on earth kicks off in France tomorrow, fans across the country, from Kozhikode to Calcutta,are waiting to be hypnotised. Cricket may be a national obsession, India can never dream of making it to the World Cup football -- doesn't matter, for a month soccer is going to rule. From June 10 to July 12, football is the passion of the planet.

"It will be a month-long festival, night after night. Everything else -- Mamata Banerjee, Jyoti Basu etc. -- will be forgotten for now," says Sumit Dey, a member of Abahani, a para (locality) club in East Calcutta's Beliaghatta. "And Brazil and Ronaldo are our heroes," adds his friend Prakash Basu.

For a month from now, football-crazy India will talk about Ronaldo, Valderrama or Zidane as if they are boys next door. Bicycle kicks will replace cover drives from the talk of the streets. Calcutta will cry with Rio de Janeiro if Brazil loses and dance when Brazil celebrates the victory with the Samba.

"Indications are that Argentina and Brazil have emerged as favourites among the punters. Germany are close behind," says Mohanan, an autorickshaw driver inKozhikode, who is a key figure behind a local betting syndicate.

The betting may be among a group, or between individuals. The amount involved ranges from Rs 5 to Rs 2,500, based on the importance of the tournament -- and of course, the purses of the bidders.

Bets are made on things like which team will kick off the game; who will get the first booking for a foul; which side will be awarded the first flag kick, and the total number of the goals in a match.

The fever is rising. In para after para in Calcutta, you see the picture of Ronaldo or other heroes painted on walls. Inside the offices of the para clubs, hordes of youths will jostle every night from tomorrow for a place in front of the TV set. Small blackboards to give World Cup updates are already in place.

Since World Cup means late nights and little sleep, a section of Calcutta's soccer players have demanded that the Calcutta Football League, due to begin on June 22, to be deferred till the end of the World Cup.

Thereare other reasons too. Although there are no soccer matches on the Maidan -- home to Calcutta's oldest clubs -- will have other excitement: Smaller clubs have arranged for their members to watch the matches in their tents. "It will be song and dance through the night on the Maidan," says an office-bearer of the Aryan Club.

A few die-hard fans in Calcutta save for four years to be at the stadia when the action is. The state government has sent a group of 16 former footballers, including two women, to France "to study the game more closely". All they have to shell out is Rs 12,000 each, the rest will be borne by the government. All India Football Federation chief Priyaranjan Das Munshi has left for France and his Congress colleague Somen Mitra will leave shortly.

The Kerala connection