FIFA World Cup: Die-hard Messi fan from Kerala cycles all the way to Russia

cliffin-francis Clifin Francis

The FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia has set in motion an unusual journey across the world. Clifin Francis, a resident of Cherthala in Kerala, is on his way to Moscow, pedalling all the way from Dubai. He expects to reach Moscow in time for the match between France and Denmark on June 26.

Francis wanted to pedal across India and cross over to Iran and Azerbaijan through Pakistan, but he was dissuaded by the potential legal complications that could arise in the neighbouring country. So he flew to Dubai, bought a bike and proceeded to Iran four months ago.

Francis saved money for his exhaustive trip by offering maths classes to aspiring bank officers in Kochi. He started his journey on February 23.

The road trip has paid him well even before he reached his destination. Staying with Iranian families as a guest, parking his bike inside an Azerbaijani police station and being welcomed with a warm smile by a Russian security officer who was smitten by actress Aishwarya Rai were just a few of the most memorable moments in his journey.

Like most outsiders, Francis had expected a terror-stricken country when he entered Iran. However, he realised his mistake the first day in the country. Border officials welcomed him warmly when they learned the visitor was from India.

He said he spent only two nights in a hotel during his 45-day stay in Iran. He was invited by Iranians, many of them who spoke Hindi, to dine with them and stay with them. He feasted on Iranian delicacies and watched Hindi movies dubbed into Persian. He was even allowed to spend nights in masjids.

Francis was completely lost when he crossed over to Azerbaijan, a former constituent of the Soviet Union. The Azerbaijanis spoke neither Hindi nor English. Azerbaijani and Russian were alien languages for Francis.

He could not even order food from the strange-looking menus. That's when he strayed into an eatery run by Siraj, Amit and Jinu, all fellow Malayalis. He was also helped by Dominic, another Malayali who works with an oil company in the central Asian country.

On nights he was not offered a place to stay, he slept in his tent. The Azerbaijani police were as much thrilled as their people to host an Indian who was pedalling his way to Russia to watch the World Cup. They showed him safe places to camp and let him keep the bike inside the police station.

From there, Francis went to the Georgian border with a German traveller he met on the way. The German was let in but Francis was kept waiting, despite showing his travel documents.

He could not turn back because the Azerbaijani officials had already stamped exit on his passport. He was in the middle of nowhere, caught between two countries, without food or water. He even tried flashing the World Cup match ticket, but Georgian authorities refused to budge.

Finally, he applied for a visa again to Azerbaijan. He returned to Azerbaijan, where he was told that he could try another route where the country shared a border with Russia.

The Russian border was a welcome change. He was treated warmly when the officers realised he was an Indian. They did not even check his luggage. He only had to show them the FIFA fan ID he was given while booking a ticket for the football match. The only question they had for him was on Aishwarya Rai.

The rest of the journey was not as simple. Little did he realise that he was pedalling through an area with heightened security warning. The local police escorted him to the police station for examination. He learned that the station had been just rebuilt after a devastating bomb blast a few months ago.

He was let out after the police checked his travel documents and the ticket to the World Cup match. He has 700 more kilometres to reach Moscow, where he hopes to watch the France-Denmark match in the Luzhniki Stadium.

Francis is a die-hard fan of Argentina. He hopes to click a selfie with Lionel Messi and convince the superstar to sign on his bike.

Francis said that he spent about $1,000 to reach Russia from Dubai. He could have cut down the expense had he carried some food. He avoids staying in hotels as far as possible, looking for a place to pitch his tent instead.

Francis has spent Rs 40,000 on the bike. He says he takes it easy, immersing himself in the sights and sounds en route. He finds his way using GPS and the maps he carries. The GPS, however, is not always reliable when he traverses through vast deserts. He said he had not been led astray so far.

Francis believes that his experience is proof that anyone can travel the world. He hopes to write a book about his travel some day.

Currently, he is yet to get any contacts in Russia. Maybe, he might bump into a Malayali in the largest country.