A sign painter in Pabna has claimed to have painted Argentina’s flag free of charge on the faces and bodies of around 3,000 football fans since the start of the World Cup.
Hasmat Ali, also known as Tokon, earns a living by painting signboards, banners and billboards for individuals and organisations. A passionate supporter of Argentina and Lionel Messi, he has turned his enthusiasm into a colourful service for fellow fans.
Hasmat lives in the Bangram neighbourhood of Bera municipality. Football fever gripped the area even before the tournament began, with supporters of Argentina, Brazil and other teams competing to display flags and banners of their favourite sides.
Ahead of matches, many supporters visit Hasmat to have team flags painted on their faces, hands and other parts of their bodies. He has painted flags for children and teenagers from Bera municipality and villages including Haturia-Nakalia, Karamja and Talat in Santhia upazila.
On Saturday morning, a crowd of children and teenagers gathered near Hasmat’s home as he carefully painted Argentina flags on their faces and bodies. Some also asked him to paint the Bangladesh flag. Several young fans, including Sohan, Sajib and Faisal from Bangram, said they had come because of their love for Argentina and Messi.
“Argentina have reached the final, so we will walk around today with the team’s flag painted on us,” one of them said.
Hasmat said supporters begin arriving at his home from noon whenever Argentina have a match. Fans often return the following morning for more flag painting when the team wins. He also paints the flags of other countries at the request of their supporters.
“I also love Argentina, so I cannot refuse anyone who wants the flag of my favourite team painted,” Hasmat said.
He said he expected to paint flags on the bodies of around 500 to 600 supporters from morning until evening ahead of Argentina’s final on Sunday night.
“I have already painted flags on around 3,000 people during the previous matches. By the end, the number may cross 4,000,” he added.
