Children playing football in Karachi. PHOTO: EXPRESS/IRFAN ALI
KARACHI: The 2014 FIFA World Cup fever has taken over the cricket-crazy nation of Pakistan, with everyone trying to be part of the football extravaganza in their own way.
Bustling shops and markets in the city have seen a sharp rise in footballing merchandising sales; jerseys, footballs, scarves and wristbands are flying off the shelves at considerable speed.
Keeping in mind the Brazil frenzy, vendors have gone all out in bedecking their shops with football products, relegating secondary space to all other sports equipment.
“Whenever the World Cup starts, the demand for sports goods soars,” Irfan Ahmed at the ZA Sports shop in North Nazimabad told The Express Tribune.
“We’re known for selling our quality cricket goods all over. But every four years, there is massive demand for football-related products. Due to this, we need to prepare in advance.”
Light House comes to life
One of the most famous sporting centres of Karachi – the Light House – is receiving customers thrice the usual number in order to buy football shoes, according to the shopkeepers there.
The Light House is known for its quality sports shoes, both new and used ones, including brand-new China-made trainers for cricket, football, hockey and other sports.
The market, which is located near Pakistan Chowk, remains one of the busiest hubs for its shoes and bags.
“Normally we deal with buyers who want to buy casual and formal shoes, but for the World Cup, 70% of the customers come to buy football shoes,” claimed Abdul Nafay, who along with his colleague has several shops in the market.
“More often than not, our customers are those who play in professional tournaments.
“People want to buy football jerseys, and at the Light House, they can get very good replicas as well as original ones.
“Mostly people buy shirts of Brazil, Italy, Argentina and England, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are their favourites when it comes to buying those of individuals.”
Karimabad, another famous part of the city, plays host to famous sports shops such as Miandad Sports and UT sports and is gripped with the same intensity.
“I opened the shop specifically for football fans, so only those items related to this sport will be found in my shop,” one of the shopkeepers said in the market.
“The youngsters’ knowledge has improved by watching the English Premier League, Uefa Champions League and La Liga, so there is a greater and diverse demand. The time has gone when buyers would only ask for the jersey of three or four prominent teams and players.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2014.
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