Germany had an unlikely supporter cheering on its 4-0 thrashing of Australia in their World Cup opener Saturday.
For 16 years, Indian businessman Putul Bora has kept a bottle of whisky buried in his garden waiting for his favorite football team - Germany - to lift the World Cup trophy.
For Bora, who owns a grocery store in the remote town of Diphu in eastern Assam state, his passion for the German team started when he traveled to watch a television broadcast of West Germany and Argentina in the 1986 final.
``I drove several kilometers to watch the matches in 1986 as there was no television connectivity in Diphu. I decided to support the team that would be down by a goal in the final match. The team happened to be Germany.''
The day after Germany lost to Bulgaria in 1994 quarterfinals, Bora bought a bottle of Scotch whisky for 650 rupees ($15).
``I got the bottle of whisky back home and buried it in our courtyard. No one knows about this, not even my wife,'' he said.
And while Bora's whisky ages as he waits for another German World Cup title, he checks on his bottle regularly to make sure it's still buried safely.
Bora stopped drinking alcohol in 2002, but says he'll be ready to celebrate with a drink if Germany lifts the trophy.
``I shall resume drinking only when Germany lifts the Cup. No one can lure me to consume alcohol before that,'' he said.
Every evening scores of mostly friends and relatives make their way to the 42-year-old's tin-roofed house to watch the World Cup matches on television.
``Every World Cup has been a festival for me and my family,'' he said.
``I have been a loyal Germany fan since I first watched the soccer World Cup matches on television in 1986. My team lost, but won the championship in 1990.''
