Kochi: Football passion runs deep in Kerala, where fans often go to extraordinary lengths to follow their favourite teams and players.

That devotion was on full display in Kanjoor in Ernakulam district on Wednesday night when a power cut prevented locals from watching Portugal's World Cup match against DR Congo.

Unwilling to miss the action while also protesting the power cut, a group of Cristiano Ronaldo supporters gathered at the local Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) field office and watched the game on a mobile phone.

Visuals of the incident aired in TV channels showed the protestors, all young men, sitting inside the KSEB field office and watching the Portugal-DR Congo fixture on a mobile phone.

The youths could also be heard inviting the official on duty to sit and watch the game with them.

"Why are you cutting power when people are watching football in TVs in their homes? What is the need to carry out load shedding now when everyone in Kerala is watching the world cup?

"We have come here in protest and we will come and watch the game here tomorrow also. We will do that every day when there is a power cut. We can all sit together and watch the game," they said.

An official of the KSEB Kanjoor field office said that a protest had occurred and nothing untoward had happened.

However, KSEB officials refused to comment further.

The innovative mode of protest comes as KSEB on Wednesday said the state may have to impose limited power restrictions between 6 pm and midnight until June 30 due to a sharp electricity shortage caused by rising demand and reduced availability across the country. PTI