An area in Karachi named Lyari saw a massive crowd for FIFA footfall screening this year. For the love of football and players, this area is also known as “Mini Brazil”. After Brazil’s exit, many fans are heartbroken.
Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan. This city has so many attractions like the beach, Do Darya, massive malls, scrumptious food, and amazing people. But there is one thing that makes it global recognition. That is its acentric and aggressive love for football. Lyari is an area in the city that became colorful and full of festivities during the FIFA world cup.
The football-crazed neighborhood is also known as “Mini Brazil”, and this year a mural featuring the game’s stars. From Argentina’s Lionel Messi to Brazil’s Neymar Da Silva Santos Júnior and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, is taking center stage.
“The football frenzy here is so great that it feels like the World Cup is being played not in Qatar, but in Lyari,” Waseem Sarbazi, a member of a nearby football coaching academy.
Pakistan has never qualified for a World Cup tournament, but many young people still enroll in football academies to train for hours each day in Lyari, one of the port city’s poorest areas, hoping to take to an international pitch one day.
On Friday, more than 20,000 Lyari residents have gathered at the Maulvi Usman Park to watch their beloved Samba Boys take on Croatia in the first quarterfinals of the showpiece event.
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“We are supporting Brazil today as we always do because we love it,” Ishfaq Haider, 20. Football is as popular in Lyari as cricket is in the rest of the country. Moreover, the beautiful game is slowly making inroads in the country.
Despite Brazil being out of the FIFA world cup 2022. Lyari is full of energy and enthusiasm because they love football. Few residents want Messi to lift the cup since they have advanced to the finals already. On the other hand few expects Morocco to win as it would be the first muslim country to lift world cup in history. So whoever wins, Football is always a winner in Lyari Karachi.