Football Fans from Kerala, Placed A Giant Cutout of Messi Under the Sea? Find out the facts…

After winning the ultimate crown in every footballer’s dream, the FIFA World Cup, millions worldwide have started praising the life and achievements of the star football player Lionel Messi, who was instrumental in leading the Argentinian team to victory.

This is our investigation related to the claim that football-crazy fans from Kerala, India, placed a cut-out of Lionel Messi under the sea.

Social Media Posts

Viral social media posts claim that a cut-out of Argentinian Captain Lionel Messi was placed between Coral reefs in the ocean by the Kerala state people to honour him. An attached video to that viral social media post is seen below.

Facebook

The posts were viral on Facebook.

The story was viral on WhatsApp also in Sri Lanka.

Fact Check

First, we did a keyword search and found related news reports. Famous Indian media sites, First Post and New Indian Express reported that while the incident was true, it had happened on Kavaratti Island, the capital of the Union Territory, Lakshadweep, and not in Kerala. This venture was led by a vlogger named Mohammed Swadikh.

“Before Argentina’s semi-final match against Croatia, a local vlogger named Mohammed Swadikh pledged to plant a cut-out of the legend in the sea via a Facebook post. La Albiceleste lived up to the expectations and crushed Luka Modric’s side 3-0 in a dominant show.” the First Post article says.

Speaking to New Indian Express, Mohammed Swadikh says, “When Saudi Arabia trounced Argentina, I had written in social media that ‘Every defeat is a precursor to a victory and Argentina will stage a comeback.’ Many people trolled me, but Argentina staged a comeback. I caught some yellow fish from the lagoon and announced that I will fry it if Argentina wins. After Argentina trounced Croatia in the semi-final, I organized a biriyani feast for my friends at mid-sea. It was at that time I announced the decision to install a cut out in the sea”.

The media also reported that the cut out was 4 m high and made using waterproof materials placed firmly in the coral reef named, The Wall of Wonder at a depth of around 100 feet, and it cannot be drifted away easily. And the reports also reveal that Swadikh got support from the Lakshadweep Scuba Adventure team to place the cut-out. The media reports can be reached from here and here. Archived & Archived.

The original video posted by Lakshadweep Vlogger Mohammed Swadikh, along with a caption in Malayalam, can be seen below.

And speaking to India Today, Swadikh says, “I was born and brought up in Lakshadweep. We depend on Kerala for education, treatment and to buy things. I have done my graduation from MES College in Aluva, Kerala. The team involved with me in installing the cut-out comprises natives of Lakshadweep. Only local people from Lakshadweep participated in this and no Keralites were involved with us.” The India Today article can be reached from here. Archived.

Below is a video of ever-enthusiastic Argentinian fan Mohammed Swadikh from Lakshadweep talking to NDTV about how he set up the large Messi cut-out under the sea.

Lakshadweep and Kerala

Lakshadweep is a union territory of India, a group of 36 islands located to the West of Kerala state. But it's not a part of Kerala state. These islands form the smallest union territory of India, and Malayalam, the language used in Kerala, is the primary and widely spoken native language in Lakshadweep. More on Lakshadweep here

The Map which depicts the location of Lakshadweep is below.

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Conclusion

According to our investigation, we found out that the cut out of Argentinian football team captain Lionel Messi was placed in the ocean at a coral reef named ‘The Wall of Wonder’ by a group of people in Lakshadweep, according to the vlogger Mohammed Swadikh who organized the setup. Lakshadweep comprises a number of small islands to the west of Kerala, and even though it’s a union territory of India, it continues to have close ties with Kerala and Malayalam, the language used in Kerala, is the primary as well as the widely spoken native language in Lakshadweep.