Kerala's northern district of Kannur is going gaga ever since the arrival of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona on Tuesday.
Maradona arrived in Kerala 12 hours ahead of schedule for Wednesday's private function.
"Since Maradona landed in Kannur earlier than expected, we decided to complete the shooting of our advertisement on Tuesday itself. But he spent most of the day sleeping. So we couldn't complete the shoot," said Shaji JS, advertising manager of Chemmanur group, which facilitated Maradona's trip to Kerala.
Maradona will make his public appearance on Wednesday morning at the Kannur Municipal stadium which has a capacity of 50,000.
Soccer fans from all across Kerala and even some other parts of the country are heading to Kannur to see the football icon, according to reports.
"We have just seen him on television. Now here is an opportunity to see him from close and we are not going to miss out. More than 200 fans are going to Kannur on Tuesday to see Maradona from our village. Couple of us has got special passes. I don't know what will happen when I see him directly. Perhaps I will faint," said NV Subair, president of the Nainanamvalappu Football Fans Association.
Meanwhile, the organisers are keen to explore the possibility of using Maradona's expertise on their proposed football activities.
"We are planning to set up a football team and an academy to train under-15 players. I had telephonic discussions with Maradona on this regard. He seemed interested. More deliberations on this project will take place during Maradona's visit and when I go back to Dubai," said Boby Chemmanur, chairman of Chemmanur International Jewellers, who are facilitating Maradona's Kerala trip.