With just four days before the 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa, football fever has started spreading across Malaysia like an epidemic.

No matter where they are, villages, schools, shops, offices or city, World Cup remains the main topic of conversation although Malaysia does not play any part in the 32-team of finalists.

It is therefore not an extreme exaggeration that football remains the number one sport in the world, especially when the World Cup comes around, once every four years.

The excitement which started about two months ago has almost reached feverish proportions as the date of the opening match between host South Africa and Mexico draws closer (June 11).

In the city of Kuala Lumpur, restaurants, mamak stalls, bistros, pubs, hotels, shopping complexes, petrol stations and clubs have all joined in the band-wagon, promoting various forms of campaigns to ignite the excitement.

Big screens have mushroomed at various locations as entertainment outlets clamour against one another to offer their patrons the best choice of viewer ship.

"Even before the World Cup, I had already installed a big screen at my stall to cater for my customers to watch live English Premier League matches from England and the response was very good.

"During the World Cup, I except the response to be even better," said Marzuki Hashim who runs a food stall in Pantai Dalam, near Kuala Lumpur.

According to Marzuki, he would however, have to follow guidelines set by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL).

Along Jalan P Ramlee and Bukit Bintang, almost all the entertainment outlets have decorated their premises with various themes to usher in the World Cup fever.

Some outlets have even gone to the extend of displaying flags of the 10 best footballing nations in the world while others have displayed giant replicas of the World Cup at their premises.

"Jerseys are a must for fans. For the World Cup, my favourite team is Brazil because the South American team plays with a lot of skill.

"However, I remain a true fan of the Malaysian team, although we did not qualify for the World Cup," Mohd Azhar Latif, a football fan told Bernama when met here.

The sales of jerseys, reflecting the origin of countries playing at the World Cup finals has been brisk, since patrons and fans wearing jerseys of their favourite teams, has become a norm.

A trader who wanted to remain anonymous said the sales of jerseys, especially countries playing in the World Cup finals, has been selling well over the past two months.

"It is common for fans to look for jerseys of countries that reach the quarter-finals. Demand for jerseys is always there but I have to attract customers and sell my merchandise at reasonable prices since competition is stiff," he said.

Using the social internet network as a means of selling World Cup merchandise has also become a popular medium for those selling souvenir as the number of individuals setting up such blogs has increased.

"I sell jerseys in Facebook on a part-time basis. I did not expect ads that I displayed on Facebook can receive overwhelming response. Jerseys that I sell are from Thailand and China and I sell them at reasonable prices including cost

of delivery.

"For a numbered jersey with names of players, it is RM80 and those without numbers are sold at RM60," said Rosli Ahmad.

Apart from jerseys, there are also those who hunt for souvenirs and collectibles, specifically made for the World Cup.

One of the most significant places for "World Cup treasure hunters" is the Giant hypermarket chain which is a licensee to sell World Cup merchandise like key chains, pins, umbrellas, T-shirts, caps, magnet stickers and the 2010 World Cup official mascot, Zakumi.

Telecommunication companies like Telekom Malaysia, Celcom, Maxis, Digi, Tune Talk, credit card companies and petrol stations like Petronas have also not missed out on the opportunity to usher in the World Cup.

These companies have come out with various packages, offers, contests and special edition products to please their clients.

The World Cup in South Africa kicks off on June 11 while the final has been scheduled for July 11.

Italy are the defending champion after winning the cup during the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany.

- Bernama